Titanomachy
by Ice Krystal
Summary: The titans have been defeated. The titan shifters have disappeared. Humanity has begun to recover. In the peace, the survivors settle down and start families of their own. But then all progress is wiped out when the enemy returns. Naomi Yeager vows to join her family in the fight against the titans, intending to eliminate them once and for all. 2nd Gen. Slightly AU.
1. The World After

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: THE WORLD AFTER**

* * *

_NAOMI._

* * *

_Year 866._

"Do you _have_ to go?"

It was a crisp day in early spring, and the entire castle was bustling with activity. My parents had packed up everything they wanted to bring, along with our stuff, and had taken us to the castle that the Recon Corps used as their base. My sister, brother, and I would now be living there with our godparents, Levi and Zoe, and their son Nathaniel. Because they were leaving for an expedition outside the walls to start the first civilization outside in over one hundred years.

Mom smiled sadly; she was a captain, the one chosen for the project as she was the youngest. Plus, she was one of humanity's strongest soldiers. Though the titans were pretty much gone, you could never be too careful. Dad was a squad leader, but it was really important he go too, though I had no idea why.

"We have to, dear," Mom said, crouching down to look at us—me, my little sister Carla, and my little brother, Axel. "But in a few years, it'll be safe enough for you all to come out and join us."

"We can live outside the walls, too?" Carla, my five year old sister, asked, her gray eyes wide as she played with her brown hair that was braided to the side.

"Someday," Dad said. "But until then, you'll be staying here with Levi and Hanji. They'll take good care of you."

Axel, who was only two years old, looked like he was about to burst into tears. "Mommy... Daddy... I dun want you ta leave..."

I could see the pain in my parents' eyes. They really didn't want to do this... They didn't want to separate from us. But they were Eren and Mikasa Yeager... They were two of the heroes that helped destroy all the titans...

"It won't be that long," Mom said, trying to sound reassuring. "We just have to make sure everything's all safe for you to come outside."

"We will always be a family," Dad said firmly. "And we'll visit you whenever we can. I promise."

Still, Axel sniffled, wiping his blue-gray eyes with his sleeve. "B-But..."

Just then, Zoe entered the room. She walked up to us.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she apologized. "I had to take care of something. All right kids, let's go! You want to see your rooms, don't you?"

Axel burst into tears then, wailing loudly. Carla starting sniffling, tears starting to fall from her eyes. It hurt to see them like this. Mom and Dad hugged them both, and I swore I saw tears glistening in both their eyes. Hanji picked up Axel and took Carla by the hand.

"Stay, Naomi," Mom said, which explained why they hadn't hugged me yet. "We need to talk to you about something. Alone."

"You know where to find us, right, Naomi?" Zoe asked.

I nodded, and Zoe left with my brother and sister. I turned back around to face my parents, wondering what they had to say to me all by myself. It had to be important. And the serious looks on their faces told me I was right.

"Naomi, I want you to have this." Mom unwrapped the red scarf from around her neck, crouched down, and gently wound it around my neck.

My eyes widened, and I reached up to touch it. "B-But Mom... you've always worn it..."

She smiled softly. "I know. And it's time for it to be passed on. I want you to have something you can remember us by. This scarf belonged to your father before me."

I blinked, surprised. "Really? You had it too, Daddy?"

He looked... slightly pained for some reason. "Yeah, my... mom made it for me. But I gave it to your mom because she needed it more than me."

Mom hugged me tightly, and I put my arms around her, pressing my face into her chest; it was weird, not having the scarf there. Mom let me go, kissed me on the forehead, and then stood back up. Dad came over to me next, and we hugged, too.

"Promise me something, Naomi," he said.

"What is it, Daddy?" I asked, confused by the seriousness of his tone.

"Protect your siblings," he said, his blue-green eyes meeting mine. "Don't let anything happen to Carla or Axel. Until we're together again, you're all they have."

I nodded firmly. "I will, Daddy."

He smiled warmly. "Good." He kissed the top of my head, gave me one last squeeze, and then pulled back, standing up. "Okay, we need to get going, Mikasa."

Mom nodded. "Right." She looked down at me. "Goodbye, Naomi. Don't forget we love you and your siblings with all of our hearts."

I smiled sadly, and nodded. "I know, Mommy. Bye-bye! Please stay safe!"

That was the last time I would see them for a very long time.

* * *

_Year 866._

"Zoe, what exactly were the titans anyways?"

I was in the former squad leader's study, sitting in front of her desk, leaning over the table. It was covered in papers, unorganized. Ever since we came to live with our godparents, I had taken to bugging her in her study since Levi threatened to make me help him clean if I kept on bothering him. Zoe was sitting on the other side, across from me; she had been writing something. She looked up at me, slightly surprised.

"The titans?" she repeated, pushing up her glasses. "Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed excitedly. "I wanna hear all kinds of stories! I wanna know what my mommy and daddy did in the Recon Corps with you and Levi!"

Zoe laughed, smiling. "All right, I'll tell you what I know. But if you have nightmares, it's not my fault."

"Nightmares?" I gasped, my eyes widening. "They were scary?"

"They were man-eating giants," Zoe said, suddenly serious. "I was fascinated by them, but I'm still glad they're gone."

So it was true, then... They ate people... That was awful!

"If they were that dangerous, then how did you even defeat them?" I asked curiously.

"Well, it was all thanks to your dad," Zoe chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "He had the rare ability to shift into a titan form. Without him, we never would have won. Anyways-"

"MY DAD COULD TURN INTO A TITAN?!" I shrieked, leaping out of my seat, my eyes wide with shock. "THAT'S AWESOME! HOW DID HE DO IT?!"

"He bit into his hand-"

"I WONDER IF I CAN DO IT TOO!" I exclaimed excitedly. "Be right back!"

"Naomi-"

I ran out of the study, all the way outside. Standing in front of the castle were Levi and Nathaniel, talking about something. They both seemed surprised to see me, and probably shocked by the wild look on my face.

"Naomi, what are you-" Levi began.

I bit down on my hand. Green light flashed, and suddenly heat and flesh exploded around me, forming into something. It all put me in a daze, and I realized I was nearly fifty feat into the air.

"OH MY GOSH!" I heard Zoe shriek. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ACTUALLY WORKED!"

"Hanji, what the fuck did you _do_?!" Levi demanded, his voice like ice.

"SHE JUST TURNED INTO A TITAN! IT MUST BE GENETIC-"

"_Hanji_."

"DAMN, SHE'S ONLY EIGHT YEARS OLD BUT SHE HAS BOOBS AS A TITAN!"

"_Hanji!_"

"...Mom, _what is going on_?"

The haze inside my mind finally faded, and I could focus on the people in front of me. Wow, they were so tiny! I blinked, and it finally clicked, even after hearing Zoe's screeching.

I had turned into a titan.

I gasped, but it turned out to be a weird shriek from the titan.

"What were you _thinking_?" Levi demanded. "She's just a _little girl_, Hanji."

"And she's not attack us, is she?" Hanji countered. "She had a goal, just like before with Eren and the other shifters—her goal was simpler, just transforming into a titan. Don't you see what this means, Levi?!"

Levi sighed heavily. "It means we're going to have to cut her out."

* * *

_Year 866._

So, it was discovered that I was a titan shifter just like my dad. The Recon Corps had been thrown into the chaos at the sight of a titan, much less another female one. Nobody would tell me about the other female titan, but I guessed I would find out eventually. The Commander—Armin Arlet, a friend of my parents—was away on the expedition project outside of the walls, so a message would have to be sent to him, but everyone agreed that it would be best to keep it a secret.

Summer went by fast. I spent most of my time with my best friends Aerona Arlet and Priam Foley. They didn't even know my secret, and I wasn't allowed to tell them.

"Naomi, hurry up already. We don't have all day."

I puffed out my cheeks and finished buttoning up my cardigan. Today was the first day of school, and Nathaniel was being a butt as usual. I pushed open the door to my room, and stepped out, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I glowered up at him.

"You don't have to be so pushy."

Nathaniel was three years older than me, making him eleven. He was planning on joining the Training Corps next year. He wasn't very tall, only a few centimeters above me. He got it from his dad, I was pretty sure. His black hair was pulled back in a short, stubby ponytail, his bangs kinda like a bushy, messier version of his dad's. He narrowed his brown eyes at me.

"You're one to talk," he retorted, turning. "Carla's waiting. Let's go."

Though he was annoying and stuff, I would be lying if I said I didn't like him. And I don't mean as a friend either...

I followed him down to the front entrance of the castle, where all the other kids were gathering to get ready to leave for school. I was relieved to see that Aerona was standing with Carla. I burst past Nathaniel and hurried up to them.

"Aerona! Thanks for standing with Carla!" I exclaimed gratefully.

Aerona Arlet, as you probably could figure out, was Armin's daughter. She had no mom, so she was alone for most of the time. My parents had been willing to take care of her, but she didn't want to take the help of others. It hurt her pride. I personally thought she was really pretty, but she used to be picked on about her hooked nose and short stature—until the bullies learned the hard way not to mess with her. Aerona had golden blonde hair that went down to the end of her shoulder blades, with her bangs neatly cut across her forehead. Her eyes were pale, icy blue.

She shrugged. "I wasn't just going to let her stand all by herself."

"Naomi!" my little sister exclaimed, quickly darting to my side and snagging my hand. "I-I'm scared..."

I gave her a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's gonna be okay! School's not that bad!"

Carla bit her bottom lip, looking down. "I-If you say so..."

I squeezed her hand. "You'll have fun! And you'll get to make lots of new friends."

Suddenly, Nathaniel joined us. "They haven't opened the doors yet."

"Obviously," Aerona deadpanned.

He narrowed his eyes. "We should be leaving now. Or we'll be late. Something's wrong."

Carla's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"Don't be silly!" I exclaimed, getting angry. "You're scaring Carla! They might just be a little behind! We might as well go outside and wait."

Pulling Carla along, I pushed through the crowd to the front doors. It took some effort, but I managed to get them open. Aerona followed, and Nathaniel came along, too. I tried not to get too excited about him coming.

"You shouldn't have opened the doors," he chided. "Or even be going outside!"

"Then why don't you stay in with the other cowards?" I snapped, glaring at me.

He narrowed his eyes, scowling.

"What... What's that?" Carla asked, sounding confused.

What was what? Then I realized... the ground... was slightly shaking. And it was getting worse and worse. Something was heading our way—running fast. And I could only think of one thing big enough to make such a noise and quaking. And that thing came bursting out past the trees, sliding on the ground, sending up a wave of dirt.

It was... a titan.

I heard screaming all around me. Carla was shrieking bloody murder, squeezing my hand so tightly she probably could have broken it off. But I was in shock; I couldn't make a sound. That thing was so hideous.

Titans... were supposed... to be gone.

But this titan... it wasn't like the ones in the pictures that Zoe had shown me. This titan was clearly female, with blonde hair. This had to be the first female titan!

"...Shit," Nathaniel breathed. "Come _on_, get back inside the castle!"

He tugged on my arm to get me to move but I was still frozen in shock.

"Aerona, get Carla inside!" he ordered.

My best friend's eyes were wide as saucers but she nodded, grabbed my little sister's hand, and pulled her away from me, heading back to the castle.

But the titan was fast—she bolted forward, breezed past us so quickly we all fell down, and whipped back around to face us, cutting us off from the safety of the castle. She was clearly after us.

All I could hear was Carla's screaming.

But the Female Titan didn't seem to care about three of us. Her pale blue eyes were focused on Aerona, who was frozen in shock like I had been earlier. She was staring at the girl with an expression that didn't seem right on a titan.

Nathaniel was the only one who had control of himself. He jumped to his feet, and picked up my sister, who then threw her arms around his neck and started sobbing hysterically into his shoulder.

"Naomi-"

The Female Titan reached for Aerona.

Oh, hell no. She was not going to eat my friend! I raised my hand.

"NAOMI, DON'T-"

I was about to bite down on my hand like I had before, but I didn't get the chance. A soldier came blasting down on her 3D maneuver gear, snatching both Aerona and me, and another soldier grabbed Nathaniel and Carla.

"Zoe?!" I gasped.

"There's no time to chat!"

The Female Titan was not happy, though. She turned around, reaching out to snatch us out of the air. But another soldier came blasting by, slashing off her fingers. I was shocked to see that it was Levi—but then I remembered that he was one of humanity's strongest soldiers. And... he looked really pissed. Had he dealt with the Female Titan before?

But then the Female Titan seemed to change her mind. She turned her back to us, and suddenly began to sprint away. More soldiers had appeared, but none of them chased after her. Nanaba dropped down to the ground, and let us go.

"Aerona!" I cried. "Are you okay?"

She still seemed to be in shock. "It... _looked_ at me..."

I stepped closer to her, and put my hands on my shoulders as Zoe watched us carefully. "What do you mean?"

Aerona looked up at me, her pale blue eyes wide, traumatized. "Like... she was checking how I was doing..."

* * *

_Year 867._

"I wish they would tell us more about the titans."

Aerona and I were sitting outside with our other best friend. His name was Priam Foley, and he lived in Shiganshana. Well, the rebuilt Shiganshana. Levi and Zoe had to go drop Nathaniel off at the training camp, so they had let Aerona come along with me to visit Priam. We didn't get to see him much outside of school, so it was a treat.

I would miss Nathaniel, though...

Priam was about my height, if not slightly taller. He had shaggy dark red hair that fell into his brown eyes, and he struggled to keep it neat. He was very proper, and really smart. He got the best scores in our grade. You could often find him reading, and right now he did have a book in his hands.

Priam looked up from said book. "Why do you want to know about those monsters?"

"Why _not_?" I retorted. "That Female Titan... seemed to take an interest in Aerona! And if the Female Titan still exists, there might be others out there..."

"Which means they still need to be eliminated," Aerona muttered.

"My dad vowed to destroy all titans," I said. "He's outside the walls with Mom... so hopefully he can finish the job. But if he doesn't... I'm going to join them."

Priam's eyes widened and he set down his book. "Naomi, don't be crazy! If the titans still exist, then joining the Survey Legion is a death sentence!"

"And joining the Military Police is a guarantee to a good life," Aerona mused.

"Both of you... want to join the military, don't you?" Priam wasn't pleased. "We're only nine years old. Give it some thought first, please."

Aerona looked at him sharply. "My father is the commander of the Recon Corps. It would be disgraceful not to join the military. I must bring my family honor."

Priam flinched slightly, his cheeks flushing. "I-I just don't want anything to happen to you..."

For as long as I could remember, Priam had had the biggest crush on Aerona. It probably started the very first day we met, when we saved him from some bullies. Aerona had done more ass kicking than me. She was freaking scary when she fought—she got this look in her eyes that meant you were dead meat.

Aerona snorted. "We're not helpless. Mrs. Yeager has taught us hand-to-hand combat."

Yeah, my mom started teaching us self-defense since we were four years old. I had no idea why, but she was adamant about us being able to protect ourselves.

Priam looked down. "Well, if you're going... I might as well, too... It's better to die with your friends than live alone forever."

I grinned. "Yay! Let's kick titan butt together!"

* * *

_Year 868._

_Dear Naomi, Carla, and Axel,_

_We miss you all very much. We hope you've been well. We've been doing all right. It can get lonely at times without you._

_The village we're helping set up is doing well. We have enough food, water, and shelter. And so far there's been no sign of any titans. If this keeps up, you'll be able to come out here and live with us again!_

_The other day..._

The letter went on to tell us a few funny stories of what had happened to Mom, Dad, and their friends. I was reading it out loud to Carla—who was now seven—and Axel—who was now four. We were sitting around a table in a private room.

"They still can't visit us..." Carla sighed. "It's already been two years..."

"Hey, don't get discouraged!" I exclaimed, trying to sound reassuring. "It sounds like everything's going well! If this keeps up, we'll be able to leave the walls soon!"

It was an exciting feeling—barely anyone had been outside the walls, even after the titans were destroyed. But after the reappearance of the Female Titan, no one was really sure if we had destroyed them all. The other titan shifters were out there, and if they had children, there was probably even more. Besides, no one knew how they became shifters in the first place, so there could be others we didn't even know about.

I quickly pushed those thoughts out of my mind; now was not the time to think about that.

Axel chewed on his bottom lip. "I dun even remember Mommy and Daddy..."  
He had only been two when they left... Levi and Zoe were more of his parents to him than our real mom and dad. I could understand why, but it still made me sad. He would never know them like Carla and I did. Our family... would never be whole.

"Well, they're awesome people Axel," Carla said, reaching out to pat his shoulder. "They helped save the world from the titans!"

"That's what my teacher said," he muttered. "But how did they even do it?"

I winced. "You'll find out when you're older... It's a bit too much for you to take right now..."

He frowned. "Why?"

"It's... too scary for us," Carla told him with a shiver. "Titans are really scary..."

Axel's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know," I said.

And here I was, a titan shifter. I had always wondered what that made me—human or titan? Or maybe both? Well, I wasn't going to eat any people... That was murder, plus down right nasty. I would have to ask Dad what he thought about it—what _were_ we?

* * *

_Year 869._

Levi and Zoe had to leave, and visit the civilization outside the walls with Erwin Smith, the Commander of the Recon Corps before Uncle Armin. So they took us to Shiganshina to stay with the Foleys until they came back; they didn't want us unsupervised at all. Aerona wanted to come along, so she came with us.

Priam's family was small; he was an only child. His mom was a midwife, and his father was part of the Garrison. Though there wasn't really a need for anyone to guard the walls anymore. Anyone in the military nowadays was called a freeloader...

"Thank you for the cookies, Mrs. Foley," Aerona said when Priam's mom set a plate of cookies down on the table in front of us.

The redheaded woman smiled. "There's no need to thank me, Aerona!"

I pushed the ends of my scarf back behind me so they wouldn't get any crumbs on them. I reached for a cookie but suddenly there was banging on the front door. Mrs. Foley frowned, and went to answer it.

"E-Excuse me!" I heard a girl exclaim, sounding frantic. "But you need to leave right now! It's not safe!"

...What?

"Oh my," Mrs. Foley breathed. "You don't look so well... Why don't you come inside, dear?"

"T-There's no time!" the girl exclaimed. "Please! I don't want anyone to die!"

"D-Die?" Carla squeaked, her eyes widening.

"What's that mean?" Axel asked, looking at me for an answer.

...Dammit.

I pushed back my chair, and walked to the front door to see what was going on. Mrs. Foley noticed me, and stepped to the side slightly so I could see who it was. The girl was probably my age, but she was really tall. She had long, messy black hair that went down to the small of her back, and by messy I mean with twigs in it and stuff. Her tanned skin was covered in cuts and scrapes. The shirt and trousers she was wearing were dirty and ripped. Her eyes were bright green, wide with distress. Whoever this girl was, she had been through a lot.

Those haunting eyes locked on me. "You believe me, don't you?!"

"Huh?!" I cried. "You should come inside... and calm down." I tried to give the scared girl a reassuring smile. "My name's Naomi."

"But—there's no-" She cut herself off, and sighed, closing her eyes. "O-Okay... I'm... Bianka."

"Come on inside, dear," Mrs. Foley said, reaching out to place her hand on the tall girl's shoulder. "You're hurt. Let's fix you up, okay? You can call me Mrs. Foley."

Bianka gulped, but then nodded. "T-Thank you..."

* * *

_Year 869._

"Hold still!" I huffed.

Mrs. Foley had fixed Bianka up, and given her clean clothes. Carla had given up one of her extra hair ties, and now I was trying to put Bianka's hair up. It was proving to be harder than I thought. Her hair was not just really long, but freaking _thick_.

"S-Sorry..." she mumbled.

Priam was scrutinizing her. "Are you... _sweating_? It's not hot in here."

"Charming as ever, Priam," Aerona sighed as Bianka's cheeks flushed bright red.

"I-It's a condition my family has," she stammered, clearing embarrassed. She reached up to brush her damp bangs behind her ear. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologize," I said. "Priam's just insensitive."

"I am not!" he cried. "I was just curious, that's all!"

I finally finished tying Bianka's hair back in a high ponytail. "There!" I exclaimed. "That's a lot better, isn't it?"

Still blushing, she nodded, giving me a sheepish smile. "Y-Yeah... Thanks, Naomi."

Suddenly, Mrs. Foley gasped; she was looking out the window. "Everyone, outside, now!"

"Mom—?" Priam started to stay.

"There's no time! Outside, now!" she snapped.

Carla quickly stood up, snagged Axel's hand, and started pulling him to the front door. I exchanged looks with my friends; they were just as confused as I was. Bianka suddenly looked very pale—was this what she was warning us about?

Anyways, we all left the house. And then I saw what Mrs. Foley must have saw—and what Bianka must have been warning us about.

The Colossal Titan was looking over the wall.

_THE COLOSSAL TITAN WAS LOOKING OVER WALL MARIA._

FUCK.

"No!" Bianka shrieked, slapping her hands down over her cheeks. "No no no! I warned you, and—it's happening again!"

In 845, the Colossal Titan busted through Wall Maria. The wall had been fixed by now, but no one ever imagined it would come back and do it again. And did that mean the Armored Titan was nearby, too?!

And... the strongest soldiers... were far away.

I swore I heard Bianka whimper, "Papa, why?"

But what was the point of destroying the walls again if all the titans were gone? Unless-

"Children, head for the river," Mrs. Foley told us, clearly trying not to freak out. "We-"

There was an explosion. A huge chunk of the wall came flying forward, a violent pulse of wind with it. Carla screamed, stumbling backwards and falling down flat on her butt, dragging Axel down with her.

But... why? The titans were extinct... weren't they?

I suddenly had a nagging feeling at the back of my throat that there were other titans... and just not regular or abnormal ones... What if... there were other titan shifters? What had Zoe called them again? Oh yeah—humans in titan bodies. Those titans were intelligent, and would not be killed easily.

Tears were streaming down Bianka's face. "Why... why does this have to happen now?!" She looked like she was on the verge of a mental break down.

"W-We have to get out of here!" Priam stammered, still in shock. "B-Before any titans-"

_THUD THUD THUD THUD!_

Already, a titan came bursting around the corner. How was that even possible?! That thing had to be already inside the walls-

"RUN!" Bianka screamed.

But I didn't want to run. I wanted to turn into a titan and beat the living shit out of that monster. Shiganshina wasn't my home, but it was my parents' from when they were children, and it was Priam's, and I did live behind Wall Maria. I wanted to kill that bastard, and keep it away from everyone I cared about. How DARE they come here again!

"N-Naomi, come on!" Priam cried.

"No. NO!" I screamed, lifting my hand. "I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!"

But before I could do anything, someone grabbed me from behind—Aerona. Her hands clamped down on my wrists and she yanked my arms down, her grip like steel.

"No," she deadpanned. "Not yet."

But now, the titan was nearly upon us. All I could hear was my siblings' screaming and Bianka's sobbing. We were all going to die because nobody would let me transform-

Out of the blue, right before the titan reached it, it crumbled to bits right before our eyes, dissolving into a steaming heap of flesh and bone. We all stood there, frozen in shock.

Bianka was trembling. "Oh, Sina... it was one of those..."

I couldn't help but stare at the taller girl; she knew something, didn't she?! Why the hell did that titan just... _fall apart_?!

"C-Children," Mrs. Foley called, her voice shaky. "Come on now!"

Aerona released my arms, but snagged one of my hands. "Let's go, Naomi."

* * *

_Year 871._

After the Colossal Titan busted yet another hole in Wall Maria, nobody was allowed back until it was deemed safe. There were some titans... but they kept on crumbling to bits like the one we encountered. And there were enough soldiers in the Garrison to handle the weak, crumbling titans. Nobody knew where they were coming from, but their appearance told us one thing.

The titans were still around. Somehow, after all this time, they had come back, if they had ever been eliminated in the first place.

Still, barely anyone wanted to join the military. The number of recruits had been dwindling for years, but now it was even worse. It seemed like only the kids of soldiers wanted to join. Or kids who wanted an easy ticket at life since there was barely any titans to fight anymore. It made me angry. This is what gave soldiers a bad reputation.

But today was the day, the day I could finally join the military—the 112th Training Corps.

Priam had still decided to join, even though he felt like he wasn't cut out for the military. But he wanted all three of us to stick together... so he signed up.

And now, here we were, all lined up for the initiation or whatever. Zoe had told me it was called the "Rite of Passage". I wondered what exactly it was.

"My name is Keith Shadis," the man in the front, our instructor, was saying. "And I will be training you into soldiers, whether you join the Military Police, the Garrison, or the Recon Corps. You would have a different instructor if there wasn't a lack of qualified professionals."

He did look a bit old to be teaching us... But I didn't realize there was just a shortage... I wanted to join the Recon Corps so I could fight with my parents, so a high ranking wasn't necessary, but I would try my hardest to be the best I possibly could be.

"You!" he barked, stopping in front of Priam, who suddenly froze as rigid as a board. "What's your name?"

"Priam Foley, sir," he replied, and I was relieved that his voice was steady.

"A prissy name for a prissy boy," Shadis sneered, making Priam gulp. "Where are you from, Foley?"

"I grew up in Shiganshana," he answered. "My father is a member of the Garrison."

"Ah, another military brat," Shadis snorted. "You're a worthless piece of scum, no matter who your parents are. Nobody here better get all high and mighty just because one of the idiots who created them is a soldier."

"Y-Yes, sir," Priam responded, looking like he wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

He moved on then, to a familiar face—Luke Springer, Connie and Sasha's son; his twin sister, Tanya, was here too. We had hung out occasionally, but I hadn't seen them much in recent years. Luke and Tanya were practically identical. They both had brown hair and light brown eyes, and were the same high, not much taller than Aerona. Luke wore his hair short, but it still ended up messy. Tanya's hair was kept in a messy ponytail.

"Name and where you're from, kid."

"I'm Luke Springer, and I'm from the Trost District."

"Another military brat," Shadis stated. "Looks like your sister's here too. I trained your parents. You two better not be as idiotic as them. I'll beat it out of you if I have to."

Both Luke and Tanya paled. At least neither of them stole any food; I heard that story from Dad. I was glad they were starting on a better foot than their mom.

I was surprised when he passed right by Bianka, who was sweating up a storm. He ignored a blonde boy who was so tall, the only person taller than him was Bianka. Shadis also passed by a girl who gave me bad vibes; she just looked like trouble.

Shadis stopped in front of a really short girl with wavy strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a loose, low ponytail, and pale green eyes. Freckles covered her cheekbones and nose. She was familiar somehow, but I couldn't remember where. Shadis didn't even say anything to her, and she spoke.

"My name is Elizabeth Fairbairn, and I'm from..."

And it went on and on. Shadis passed right by Aerona, which didn't surprise me. Everyone knew who Commander Armin Arlet's daughter was. I wondered if he would ignore me, too. He had to know who I was too, right? I was starting to get hopeful, and then he stopped right in front of me.

"Well, what do you know, Yeager's spawn is here too," he said with a hideous sneer. "What do you think you'll accomplish? You'll just end up as titan fodder like everyone else."

Agh, he was really trying to piss me off—and he was succeeding. I realized my hands had clenched into fists involuntarily. I didn't bother to unclench them.

"I intend to join the Recon Corps," I stated, a slight edge to my voice from my building temper. "I know I won't become titan fodder."

"Oh? You _know_ you won't?" he mocked. "Because your mommy and daddy will save your sorry ass if you get in trouble? How touching."

There were snickers in the crowd. I was struggling to hold in my anger now. He really knew how to push my buttons.

"I don't have to rely on anyone."

Shadis snorted. "Cocky, eh? You'll die in your first battle."

I couldn't take it anymore.

I whipped my right arm out in front of me, pressing it up against my torso, and put my left arm behind me, saluting.

"I'm going to join the Recon Corps and defeat the rest of the titans," I declared firmly. "I'm going to purge this world of them all! _Every single one of them_."

He narrowed his eyes, and I waited for him to challenge my pledge. Instead, he just nodded, and moved on. I didn't dare relax, though. I hope I had made my point clear; there was no way I could lose. It would not be acceptable.

…

"I think it's pretty awesome that we all decided to join the military!" Luke exclaimed with a grin. "We get to kick ass together!"

Tanya grinned. "I know, right?! And the food is waaaay better than what Mama said!"

"Of course all you care about is food," Alain deadpanned, leaning back in his chair.

Alain was the son of another friend of my parents, Jean Kirschstein. He was the same age as me. He was tall, and had short but slightly shaggy light brown hair, and brown eyes. I had met him once or twice as a kid, but we never had hung out much. Personally, he had never been that fun to be around.

Tanya huffed, puffing out her cheeks. "At least I didn't steal a potato!"

Aerona sipped her tea. "Are we seriously discussing this?"

"Way to blow the mood, Aerona," Luke groaned.

Bianka was biting her bottom, staring at her hands folded on the table in front of her. She looked really awkward, like she wanted to join in the conversation but had no idea what to say. I couldn't help but feel bad for her. I wished I could do something to make her feel more comfortable...

Aerona shrugged. "You're being idiotic."

"Hey! That's not nice!"

"It's true."

I abruptly pushed back my chair, standing up. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing, and looked up at me. I brushed invisible crumbs off my shirt and skirt.

"Naomi, where are you going?" Priam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I need some fresh air," I replied, adjusting the scarf around my neck. "We'll have to go to bed soon, and I want some alone time before that..."

"Oh. I see." He looked down. "You should go, then."

"Watch out for Shadis," Aerona warned, looking up at me coolly. "I doubt he'd take to you sneaking out warmly."

I snorted. "You don't want to warn me. See you guys later!"

I left then, heading out of the dining hall. It was crisp out, and goosebumps were forming on my bare skin. I walked aimlessly, not quite sure where I wanted to go. My shoes crunched on the dirt. The sun was still setting, and I could start to see some stars in the darkest part of the sky.

"Naomi! Wait!"

I stopped, glancing behind me. I was slightly surprised to see Alain coming after me.

"Oh, hey, Alain," I greeted him. "What's up?"

He stopped in front of me. "Oh, um, w-well..." He gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing, and his cheeks flushing a pale shade of pink. "I-I just wanted to say... y-your hair is pretty!"

I blinked, reaching up to run a few fingers through my black hair. Really? I barely did anything with it. I kept my hair down to a little past my shoulders, and pulled the front strands back into a little knot of a bun. My bangs were a combination of both my parents'—longish parted in the middle like my dad's, but with a strand in the middle that would never go to either side, like my mom's. It was nothing special.

"Thanks..." I said, not knowing how exactly to respond to that. "But is that seriously all you came out here to say to me?"

Alain looked incredibly nervous. Why, though? It was just me. I didn't bite. Well, _most_ of the time.

He looked down, blushing even more. "Uh... Yeah... Sorry, Naomi."

"What're you apologizing for?" I laughed. "All's cool, Alain. But I really meant that I wanted some alone time. Catch ya later!"

I waved, and then headed off again before anyone else could stop me.

…

"THERE ARE OPEN SHOWERS?!" Elizabeth shrieked.

There was one bathhouse, which we had to share with the boys. Girls got to shower first, though. So we had all gathered our things to clean up before going to bed, and headed for the showers. And now, we had discovered, with much horror, that there were no individual stalls.

"...Not cool," Tanya groaned. "Not cool at _all_."

Aerona brushed her long blonde hair behind her back. "We're all female here. Stop making a big deal out of it."

Elizabeth's face flushed. "B-But—I don't want anyone to see me!"

"I... I have to second that..." Bianka mumbled, staring down at the tiled floor.

Israfil sighed. "Then why don't we take turns? Someone guards you while you shower. Solves the problem, right?"

Now Israfil was that girl that looked like trouble earlier. She had short dark brown hair that only went down to her chin, tanned skin, and dark brown eyes. Her height made her even more intimidating, and she was built rather sturdily, like she could take out anything.

And that was the nicest thing she had said all day.

"O-Oh, that's not a bad idea!" Elizabeth exclaimed, looking relieved. "Um, who will cover me?"

"...I can, I guess," Israfil muttered.

"Bianka, you're with me!" Tanya exclaimed, snagging the taller girl's arm and dragging her deeper into the bathhouse.

Other girls began to pair up too, leaving me with Aerona, which wasn't a surprise. Honestly, I shared the same sentiment with her when it came to showering. We were all girls. There was nothing to hide. Except for scars, maybe. When we were little, I used to bathe with Aerona all of the time. It was no big deal to me.

"Well, let's get this over with," I said.

"There's no point in standing guard," Aerona said. "We can shower at the same time."

I blinked. "All right... I am pretty tired. I just wanna crash."

And so, with that, we all took showers, changed into our pajamas, and headed back to the barracks. We had all already chosen our bunks—and I was in the same room as Aerona, Bianka, Tanya, Elizabeth, and, regrettably, Israfil.

"Wow, you're hair is so long, Bianka," Elizabeth gasped, her pale hued eyes wide. "You, too, Aerona."

Bianka blushed. "Thanks..."

Israfil snorted. "You should cut it, or it might get caught in your 3D maneuver gear. How _tragic_ that would be."

Ugh... she really got on my nerves.

Aerona scowled, her icy blue eyes getting even colder. "Are you trying to get your ass kicked?"

Israfil smirked. "Is that a challenge?"

Tanya let out a strained laugh. "C'mon, guys, no fighting! We really need to get to bed anyway! We have to get up bright and early tomorrow, plus training starts! You don't want to be tired on the first day of training, do you?!"

"She's right," I said. "It starts tomorrow! In three years I'll be able to help my parents kill all the rest of the titans! I'm going to DESTROY those bastards!"

Bianka's eyes were wide. "Y-You're really passionate about this..."

"She gets it from her dad." Aerona sighed. "You think Naomi is bad? Just wait until you meet Eren Yeager..."

* * *

**This is a second gen SnK fanfiction that takes place after the titans have been "defeated". **

**The main protagonist is Naomi Yeager, the daughter of Eren and Mikasa. I'm sorry if you don't ship them, but that is what I chose. **

**There will be original characters, along with the second gen and the canon characters. **

**This may also be slightly AU, as we don't know how SnK is going to end, who else is going to die, etc. I'm not up to date with the manga either, though I do plan on reading it, so I just know for sure what has been in the anime. If something I write contradicts the manga, just let me know and I will change it unless it totally messes up the story!**

**This fic will also contain lots of headcanons and theory since we don't know much about the titans.**

**Okay, that's all I have to say for now! Reviews would be awesome!**


	2. A Never Ending Battle

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: A NEVER ENDING BATTLE**

* * *

**_PRIAM_**

* * *

_871._

"C'mon, it's time to get up!"

I groaned, rolling onto my side, putting my back to whoever was talking to me. "Five more minutes..."

"Dude, do you want to be late? I'll dump ice water on you!"

I jolted upright, almost snapping wide awake. "W-What?"

Luke was standing next to my bunk, which was the lower one, fully clothed in the Trainee Squad uniform. Then it finally hit me what he was talking about. I looked around; we were the only guys left in the room.

"Crap!" I exclaimed. "Training starts today!"

"Yeah, dude," Luke said, nodding. "And you've got like five minutes to get ready!"

…

For the first day of training, it went by rather quickly. All we did was the basic aptitude test—swinging upright with ropes tied around our waists. Anyone who couldn't do that was sent away to the landfills. Their training would end on the very first day... It was a miracle that I could even do it.

I was so relieved; I didn't want to leave my friends.

"I told you you could do it!" Luke exclaimed with a wide grin as I stopped swinging upright.

"Barely," I sighed, and glanced over to the side. "Look at Aerona. She's a natural."

It was true. There was Aerona, standing perfectly still as she balanced on the ropes. I could feel my cheeks heating up just from watching her. Aerona was so beautiful and amazing... Everything about her was perfect—even her nose, which she used to be bullied for. She was my friend, but I would never stand a chance to be anything more to her than that.

I was too weak... and she was so strong.

"Dude, her dad is the freaking _Commander_ of the Scouting Legion!" he exclaimed. "What do you expect? 'Course she's a natural! But hey, don't get discouraged, man. I heard Commander Arlet didn't even get in the top ten of his class."

My eyes widened, and I looked back at the shorter boy. "R-Really?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, my dad told me. They were in the same class, y'know?"

I looked down. "I-I see... Let me down, will you?"

…

"So, Priam... Why are you hanging around Naomi and Aerona so much?"

The first day of training had ended, and we were just chilling in the barracks after dinner before the lights went out. One of the other guys had asked me that, catching me off guard.

"They're my best friends," I stated, frowning. "Is that a problem?"

"You're best friends with girls?"

There was laughter throughout the room, except for Luke, Alain, and another boy named Christoph. I felt my face burn with embarrassment; I was used to being picked on for being friends with two girls, but it was humiliating to be laughed at by your fellow cadets...

Christoph stood up; he was a tall, broad shouldered, stocky guy, and he was intimidating. He had short, cropped sandy blonde hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes. You could see his muscles through his shirt, which just made him more daunting. He just had this look that said, _"Don't mess with me."_ If I recalled correctly, Bianka knew him somehow.

"Knock it off," Christoph warned, an edge to his voice. "So what his best friends are girls? That doesn't make him any less of a man."

"Yeah!" Luke exclaimed, a fiery look in his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with having pretty girls as friends~!" He winked at me.

I just stared at him, probably blushing even more, not knowing how to respond.

Alain sighed. "At least you can talk to girls without sounding like an idiot..."

I let out a strained laugh, looking down. "I wouldn't call that an accomplishment when I can't even tell one my true feelings..."

...And I probably shouldn't have even said that.

"Oooooh, you _like_ someone?!" Luke gasped, a mischievous glint lighting up his eyes. "Who is it? Naomi? Aerona? Or maybe Bianka? You've known her for a few years too, right?"

"I-It's none of your business," I sputtered, probably the most embarrassed I had been in ages. "I don't want to talk about it..."

Alain closed his eyes. "We have more important things to worry about anyways... like training... and surviving this war..."

"Dude, if I'm going to die, I'm _not_ going to die a virgin!"

* * *

**_AERONA_**

* * *

_872._

We were a year into our training. Apparently, they were doing something different to fit in with the times. To prepare the cadets more for life as a soldier, we would get a special lesson from someone high in the ranks of the Scouting Legion, and then we would be taken on a three day excursion outside of camp.

In this expedition, we would be treated as true soldiers. We would ride horses, bring carts full of supplies, and be prepared to fight titans if necessary. This would hopefully give us experience before we graduated so the fatality rate would be lower. Some cadets were excited, others were terrified. As for myself, I felt nothing towards it. I had seen titans before. I was raised among the Scouting Legion. It wasn't a big deal.

Right now, it was nighttime, after the day we had been informed of this four day lesson and training. I wasn't tired, so I was laying flat on my back in the bunk above Naomi's, staring at the ceiling, thinking.

It was highly unlikely, but I couldn't help but hope that our special teacher from the Scouting Legion would be my father. I had seen him even less than Naomi and her siblings had seen their parents. He was even busier than Uncle Eren and Aunt Mikasa... You could say I desperately wanted to see him... to show him that I was successful, that I was bringing honor to our family...

Father loved me, but I knew part of him wished I never had been born. I had made his life so much more difficult... plus added a scandal of someone having a child out of wedlock.

I closed my eyes. I needed to stop thinking about these things and try to sleep.

"Pssst..."

I ignored the voice of my friend below.

"Hey... Aerona...!"

I stayed silent.

"Aerona... I know you're awake."

My eyes shot open. She knew me far too well. "What do you want, Naomi?"

"I'm coming up."

"What-"

Before I could even finish what I was saying, she had climbed up into my bunk, forcing me to move over to make room for her.

"Naomi, what are you _doing_?" I hissed.

"I'm not sleepy," she confessed, which was obvious enough. "Besides... I need to talk to you about something."

I wished I could see better in the darkness, so I could see the expression on her face. But I could sense her seriousness from the tone of her voice. There was no way I could deny her that. Naomi had been there for me all those years, and I would be here for her now if she needed me to.

"What?" I asked bluntly.

She hesitated. "Shadis... told me that my dad is coming. He's bringing Levi and Nathaniel with him."

I stiffened. _Nathaniel_. I could bear his father, but the son? I despised him with every fiber of my being. Somehow he had gained Naomi's affections, but I had no idea how. He was a complete asshole. It ran in the family, apparently.

"I see," I said quietly. "I'm happy for you."

"Aerona... Shadis also said that the Commander wanted to come too... but something came up... Something about the Female Titan."

I froze. My father... _wanted_ to see me?

"Is that... so?"

I didn't know how to react to that... I wasn't good at displaying my emotions other than anger. I was trying to get better at it, but it just kept on getting harder and harder.

"Aerona..." Naomi placed her hands on my shoulders. "Your dad does care about you... And I know you don't really like Levi or Nathaniel... but we'll have to work with them someday."

"Levi has retired," I deadpanned. "As has Hanji."

"You get my point," she hissed. "Y'know what they're teaching us?"

"No."

"Dad will be teaching us about Titan Shifters. Since he is one and all."

I went rigid again, and looked up at the general area her face had to be. "Why?"

"They want us to be educated—prepared. Because... there's a possibility... that most of the titans out there now... are actually _Titan Shifters_."

My eyes widened. "That means... the titans we will face now... are capable of much, much worse things than ever before... We _have_ to go on these expeditions to get experience... or we _will_ die."

Her grip on my shoulders tightened. "Yeah... and about the whole Titan Shifting thing... I'm sorry I never told you, but I've only just got permission... Dad wants one person to know so they can have my back..."

"Tell me what?" I asked, confused.

"I'm... a Titan Shifter. I inherited the ability from my dad. Carla and Axel may be able to shift, too... but it's too risky to find out..."

Naomi... my best friend in the entire world... could transform into a titan...

"I had to keep it a secret," she insisted. "The Scouting Legion didn't want anyone else to find out because of what happened with my dad. Especially since I was so young when I first shifted... I-I'm sorry, Aerona..."

I stayed silent for a moment. "Don't apologize, Naomi. It's not your fault." I pulled back away from her, pressing my back to the far wall. "I will always have your back. Priam's, too. That's what friends do. Don't worry, Naomi."

"O-Okay..." I felt the bunk shift as she moved back towards the ladder. "Thank you... Night."

"Good night, Naomi."

* * *

Today would be split into two—the first half would be the lesson, and the second half would be preparations for the expedition. Currently, it was breakfast, and I was sitting alone and eating, as my friends were running late, it seemed.

"Hey, Aerona!"

I looked up to see Danica Meyer, with another girl whose name escaped me. Danica was a year younger than me, and had long curly dark brown hair braided back, light brown skin, and hazel eyes. She was taller than me, of course. Everyone was taller than me, with the exception of Elizabeth. I supposed she was pretty.

"What?" I asked.

"We've been thinking about throwing a party after the expedition," the other girl said excitedly. "Since this is a big deal and all! Would you be interested in going?"

I looked at her blankly. "No. Why would I?"

Danica winced, but didn't look surprised. "Oh, don't be like that, Aerona... It'd be fun! Plus, some of the guys have some ideas of how to have fun... _if you know what I mean_."

The other girl giggled as I narrowed my eyes. I didn't even want to imagine what these ideas were. They were most definitely _not_ appropriate.

"I'm not interested," I deadpanned. "Go ask someone else."

To be honest, I didn't like boys; I had no interest in them. There were few boys I even liked as friends, such as Priam and Alain. The others were tolerable, but some of them, like Luke, were just unbearable. I had never been attracted to a boy, or had a crush on one. I never would; I had a different preference.

Suddenly, Naomi appeared, having finally finished preparing for the day; her hair was still damp from showering. "Oh, hey Danica! Sara! What's up?"

"Naomi!" exclaimed Danica, a grin lighting up her face. "Hey, we're thinking about throwing a party after the expedition. Would you go?"

Naomi's blue-green eyes lit up, sparkling. "Ooooh, hell yeah! That sounds really fun! Don't you think so, Aerona?"

I scowled, closing my eyes. "Not really."

I heard her huff. "Why am I not surprised? Well, if Aerona's not going I probably won't either... Sorry guys."

"It's okay," said Danica. "We better get some food now, anyways. The lesson starts soon! See you later, guys!"

...

"Yeager!"

Naomi looked up, still chewing on her food. It was Shadis. I wondered what he wanted. Normally he left us alone until it was time to train or learn...

"Yes, sir?" Naomi asked once she had swallowed.

"Your father wishes to see you. Arlet, you may come along as well."

Her eyes lit up. "Yes! I'm coming! C'mon, Aerona!"

She grabbed me by the elbow and yanked me up out of my seat. I let her drag me all the way out of the dining hall, out into the open. I saw Uncle Eren standing and talking with Levi and Nathaniel. I stiffened at the sight of the most latter.

"Daddy!" Naomi cried, letting go of me and proceeding to run up to her father, throwing her arms around his neck.

"Naomi!" Eren exclaimed, having to step back to take her weight, caught off guard.

She pulled back, standing straight up; she was the same height as her father, which seemed to surprise him; that also meant she was taller than Levi, and his insufferable son, who was only slightly taller than his father. This was the first time Naomi had seen her father in years.

"You've... grown so much..." Eren said, his eyes wide as he looked at his daughter.

Naomi laughed. "Of course I have, Dad! It's been seven years..."

"Humph," Levi snorted. "I told you we're taking good care of them, Eren."

"I can see that now," Eren replied dryly before looking back towards me, where I stood farther away from the reunion. "Aerona! What are you doing, standing all the way over there? Get over here."

Still staying silent, I walked up to them, briefly glaring at Nathaniel when he met my gaze. Returning my attention to who mattered, I looked at Eren, who I had seen more of than my own father.

"Hello, Mr. Yeager," I said. "It's been a while."

"There's no need to be so formal," Eren chuckled. "You look like you've been doing well, too. Armin will be happy to hear that. He worries about you more than you realize."

I felt a pang of surprise, but did not show it.

"Has... anything unusual happened to you recently?" Eren asked, suddenly turning serious.

"...Unusual?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Levi sighed. "He means, have you healed quickly from any injuries, have you regenerated lost limbs or teeth, have you turned into a _huge ass_ titan, and so on."

Eren glared at the older man. "Nice word choice, Captain."

"Humph."

They... were asking me... if I had experienced anything that a Titan Shifter dealt with on a daily basis... But why? I had no relation to any other Titan Shifter. I was purely human.

"...Absolutely not," I responded impassively. "I'm not a Titan Shifter."

I had a feeling that my response did not satisfy Eren, however, as he furrowed his brow, frowning. "I see... Anyways, you know about Naomi now?"

I nodded.

"This expedition is meant to give the trainees experience, but it also has another purpose..." Eren said slowly.

"We need to see if the titans are still attracted to humans like before," Levi sighed. "And perhaps find out why some of them crumble, and others do not..."

Nathaniel yawned. "Don't you also want to figure out if there are titans inside the walls?"

Naomi's eyes widened. "Inside the walls?!"

Eren winced, and then nodded grimly. "Yeah. All of the titans that the Scouting Legion has encountered crumble or are like the ones from years ago. However, the Garrison has had an influx in attacks by intelligent titans—titans with humans inside of them."

"Titan Shifters," I stated. "We're not fighting regular titans anymore—not even abnormals."

Naomi's eyes were still wide. "Why are you telling us this?"

"Because you're the only other Titan Shifter we have on humanity's side," Nathaniel snorted. "And you're the Commander's daughter. Someone on the trainee side has to know."

"This must remain a secret," Levi said flatly. "Understood?"

"...Understood," I said, holding back a sigh.

"...Yes, understood," Naomi muttered, looking down.

…

"My name is Eren Yeager, and I am a squad leader of the Scouting Legion, and as you probably already know, I am the only Titan Shifter on humanity's side."

Our special lesson had begun. We were in the classroom, with Eren in the front at the chalkboard. I was sitting between Priam and Naomi, and we all had notebooks out to record whatever we were told today.

"I'm here to inform you about the currently known Titan Shifters. You may have already heard about them, you may have not. But it's important that you know about them, so you can spot them, fight them, and find other Shifters."

I now understood why Eren had mentioned the Titan Shifting to us. It was a scary thought—what if titans no longer existed, and only the Titan Shifters were left? Our enemy could be right with us—a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Eren turned his back to us, and began to write on the board as he spoke. "Reiner Braun—the Armored Titan. Bertholdt Fubar—the Colossal Titan. Ymir—the Dancing Titan. Annie Leonhardt—the Female Titan. Those are the Titan Shifters on the enemy's side."

We all wrote those names down. But as soon as I heard that Annie Leonhardt was the Female Titan, I stiffened. I had encountered the Female Titan. But she hadn't been trying to kill anyone. She had... _inspected_ me... like she wanted to know how I was doing, if I was okay. And if the Female Titan was really a human being... I could only think of one reason why she would risk everything to come see me... My hand tightened into a fist around my pen.

Was... Annie Leonhardt... my _mother_?

If that was the case, that meant...

No, my father would never do anything like that. I quickly pushed the thoughts out of my head.

"I knew them all personally," Eren was saying. "They were my friends. We trained together as members of the 104th Trainee Squad. It was shocking to find out the truth about them..."

I could only imagine.

"You all should already know what their titan forms look like, so here are the last pictures we have of them as humans."

Eren put four old photographs on the board. They were black and white; color photographs had only been invented ten years ago. There were gasps throughout the room. My eyes widened.

"Is it just me... or do some of our classmates look like the Titan Shifters...?" Priam whispered, shocked.

I couldn't move, much less speak.

"Oh shit..." Naomi breathed, her eyes wide. "Bianka reminds me of Bertholdt... And doesn't Christoph kinda look like Reiner? And damn, Israfil and Ymir kinda look alike... And... you and Annie, Aerona..."

We had the same eyes, the same nose. How the hell was this possible?!

Suddenly, I heard a snap and I looked down. I had broken my pen in half, and the ink had spilled everywhere. But nobody seemed to care.

"It's... just a coincidence," I murmured.

But I would be lying if I said I believed that.

* * *

The expedition began today.

Everyone got up early, showered for the last time until we got back, and prepared. Once we were all set, we had to equip our horses and ride to the line up, where we would be instructed on what exactly we would be doing. The entire time we were preparing, Naomi was gushing about how exciting this was going to be and how she couldn't wait to kill some titans.

"I'm... kind of nervous..." Priam told us quietly as we joined the line.

"Hey, that's okay!" Naomi exclaimed, trying to be reassuring. "I mean, it's our first mission... and we're just trainees. But that's why we're doing this! So we won't be nervous and scared when the we face the real thing!"

Priam winced. "When you put it that way... I suppose it's only logical."

"Of course it is," I said. "I doubt anything will happen anyways."

Naomi began looking around. "Say, have you seen Bianka?"

"If I recall correctly, I saw her with Christoph earlier," I told her. "They were childhood friends, weren't they?"

Naomi blinked. "They were? I didn't know that."

Priam winced. "I even knew that..."

Naomi puffed out her cheeks. "_Excuuuuse_ me! I just didn't realize it... I mean, they don't hang out that often. Bianka's usually with us."

"That's true," I relented. "Perhaps she needed to discuss something with him?"

Priam's eyes widened. "What if... it has to do... with the _Titan Shifters_?"

"Don't be silly!" Naomi exclaimed with a strained laugh. "There's no way _Bianka_ is a Titan Shifter! She couldn't hurt a fly!"

Before anyone else could say anything, we were called to attention. Eren, Levi, and Nathaniel were up front, all on their horses, their cloaks on over their uniforms—we had cloaks, too. Everyone was silent, waiting to be addressed.

"Today, you will be the first Trainee Squad to ever go on an expedition," Eren announced. "As a way to prepare you for joining the front line, it has been decided that all Trainee Squads from now on must go on at least one expedition. You may encounter titans, you may not. But we will do our best to ensure your safety. There will be no fatalities."

I hoped he realized what he was saying—he was promising that no one would die. And when it came to titans, I had a hard time believing that.

Levi shifted on his black horse. "You will be traveling for three days. Our destination is nowhere in particular. We will go as far as possible. We will be using a flare system to keep in touch. You will form teams of six, and your teams have already been decided. Stay together, and you should be fine. If you encounter titans and cannot outrun them, do not hesitate to kill them. Any questions?"

It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.

"...Then let's get started."

…

I was pleased to find out that Naomi and I were placed in a group with Priam, Bianka, Alain, and Christoph. They were the people I got along the most with, if I didn't consider all of them my friends. I could entrust them with my life. But I knew if we encountered any titans, Priam would need someone to save his ass. He wasn't athletic at all.

"Well, it looks like we're all together," Christoph said once we had all met up. "This is a solid team."

Priam looked down. "I-I'll try not to get in the way..."

"I don't think that will be a problem," said Alain, clearly trying to make Priam feel better. "I doubt we'll bump into any titans."

"I wouldn't say that so soon," I warned. "We haven't even left yet. We don't know what awaits us."

"Well, if we find any, I'm going to _destroy_ them!" Naomi declared, a wild look in her eyes. "Every last one!"

Bianka appeared to be sweating already. "Don't get too cocky..."

Naomi laughed. "We'll be fine! C'mon, it's time to go!"

…

And so it began. We split up into a formation, and my team ended up in the middle western portion. We would ride and ride until we were given the signal that the camp was ready, and we would head to wherever the flare went off, as that would be the location of the camp. There was a squad of veterans from the Scouting Legion, and not just Eren, Levi, and Nathaniel. I supposed they wanted to be prepared for the worst—like the Female Titan.

It was uneventful at first. We were just riding, keeping our horses at a canter to save energy. Sometimes we talked, but most of the time we were quiet. Alain tried, rather awkwardly, to strike up a conversation with Naomi, but he kept on blushing and stammering and sputtering like an idiot so he gave up.

Right now, we were riding silently. All you could hear was the clopping of our horses' hooves. It was actually pretty peaceful, and the rhythm of the hoof beats was soothing in a way. I could almost block out all of my thoughts.

"So, you two know each other?!"

...Of course Naomi would bring that up now and ruin my peace of mind.

Bianka started, her green eyes widening and her cheeks flushing. "Y-Yes..."

Christoph snorted, unfazed. "Yeah, so? We grew up together, with Israfil, too!"

Bianka shivered. "Don't talk about her..."

So Bianka had bad blood with Israfil... I didn't blame her. Israfil could be a total bitch. She clashed a lot with Naomi, and annoyed the hell out of me either way.

Christoph grimaced faintly. "If you say so... You can't keep avoiding the past, Bianka."

What exactly was he talking about...?

Bianka looked away from him. "You don't have to remind me."

"Oh Maria!" Priam suddenly gasped. "That's a black flare!"

We all looked over and saw black smoke shooting up from the air. Black meant one thing—something had gone horribly wrong. Priam quickly took out the flare launcher, fumbling with the can before putting it in and launching our own black flare.

"Does that mean-" Alain began.

_THUD THUD THUD THUD!_

Priam looked behind him, and his eyes widened with horror. "TITANS!"

We all turned in our saddles and looked behind us. There, tearing after us, were six titans. Yes, six of them. I wasn't sure if they were abnormal or not, and for all we knew, they could be humans in titan bodies. But they were running really fast, and would catch up to us quickly. I urged my horse into a gallop, and the others followed suit.

"W-What do we do?!" Priam cried, absolutely terrified.

Naomi was scowling. "We'll have to kill 'em!"

"We need a plan first!" Alain exclaimed, a strained edge to his voice. "We can't go into this blindly."

"T-They're getting closer!" Priam gasped.

"Calm down," I snapped. "Freaking out will only get you killed."

His eyes got even wider, but he gulped, and nodded.

"We're running out of time for a plan," Christoph said, glancing behind him. "We have to act now!"

Christoph was the farthest back in our procession, and therefore the closest to the titans. He shot out of the saddle, pulling out his blades, and with speed and precision, moved around behind the closest titan, and slashed the base of its neck. It crumbled to a steaming pile of flesh as the titan behind it grabbed for Christoph. But the boy was able to get away, cutting off the fingers that got too close.

But he still wasn't fast enough for a third titan coming in.

"CHRISTOPH!" Bianka shrieked, blasting off her horses, brandishing her blades.

A hand clamped down around Christoph, pinning his arms to his sides so he couldn't use his swords. I heard Priam scream but Bianka was fast, and sliced the titan's hand right off its arm, freeing our comrade. She proceeded to shoot a grappling hook into the back of its neck, using that to accurately slice the nape of its neck. Blood sprayed out and then it collapsed instead of crumbling like the other.

It was time to fight.

I launched myself off my horse right as a titan began to run into our formation, separating us. This titan was definitely normal, otherwise it wouldn't have opened up is weak spot so easily. In mere seconds, I had killed it, and it crumbled to the ground. Using my momentum from a previous attack, I eliminated another.

"ARGH!" I heard Naomi exclaim. "TAKE THIS!"

She shot a grappling hook at a titan, and was gliding towards it, but when she went around to kill it, the blades did almost no damage. Naomi's eyes widened with shock; why the hell didn't it work?! But then the titan grabbed a hold of the line, and yanked her back forward, snapping it in half.

No.

NO.

"NAOMI!" I shrieked, my voice cracking up an octave as I shot towards them, swinging my blades.

But I was too far away.

The titan shoved her in its mouth feet first. I had never seen such a look of terror and rage on anyone's face. The crunch was audible as the titan bit down. Naomi screamed.

Words couldn't even come out of my mouth anymore. I reached them, and with an anguished scream tearing out of my throat, I slashed its weak spot, spraying myself with blood. I was so angry it was sloppy, and the titan began to fall forward. Someone else—Alain shot forward, pulling Naomi out of the monster's mouth before it could fall and crush her.

I felt numb, and it was so powerful I was almost unaware of the fact that Bianka and Christoph had finished off the last couple of titans.

I dropped down to the ground, having only one thing on my mind—_Naomi_.

I hurried over to where Alain had carefully set her down; our horses had stopped running, and were slowly returning to us, except for Priam's, who he was dismounting. Everyone else was rushing over as well. Naomi was laying on her back, her blood-spattered face contorted in pain. Her legs had been bitten off... cleanly at the knee I dropped down to my knees, right beside her.

"Naomi!" I breathed, still in shock of what had happened.

"My blades... were blunt," she got out, squeezing her eyes shut. "Somebody must have tampered with them..."

Priam joined us, dropping down on her other side. His face looked hollow. He had not been prepared at all for this. And in reality, no one had.

"Oh, Naomi..." Priam whispered, tears filling his brown eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..."

Naomi raised her hand, and I took it, clasping it firmly. It only made sense. Naomi was too skilled, too talented, to be caught off guard like that. If she had sharp blades, she would have killed the titan and it would have been done with. She would have never been grabbed.

I would never admit it; even though I knew she was a Titan Shifter, I was terrified that I was going to lose her. I couldn't lose her. I had no idea what I would do if something happened to her. Naomi was more than a best friend to me—I _loved_ her. I had always loved her. From the first day we met.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to sound reassuring and struggling to keep my voice steady. "We'll find the bastard who did this. You're going to be okay, Naomi."

I was mainly saying that to try to convince myself.

She laughed, jerking back her head. "Of course... I am..."

"W-We can't stay here like this..." Bianka said, sounding worried. "We need to get her-"

"GET BACK!" Naomi suddenly shrieked, her body suddenly spasming. "I... I..."

She was going to-

I let go of her hand, leaping to my feet. Priam was confused, so I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. Though everyone was confused, they obeyed, running back to where the trees were.

In order to transform into a titan, blood had to be drawn. You had to be injured. Getting your legs bit off definitely qualified for that. Naomi couldn't stop it. Not with all the pain and anguish she felt. I wished I could help her, I wished I could stop it.

"What's going on?!" Priam cried.

"I'm... going... TO KILL THEM ALL!" Naomi screeched, her voice rough and full of rage.

And then, there was a boom and a bright flash of green light, and all I could hear was the furious roar of a titan.

* * *

**Early update!**

**You've met a few more characters~**

**I should have mentioned this earlier, but this is mainly rated M for being SnK and all the wonderful things that happen in SnK, as you've seen in this chapter. But, ahem, there will be some sexual aspects, but the dominating reason for it being M will be the violence and language.**

**Titanomachy will have alternating POVs, as you have seen in this chapter. **

**I will be posting character files eventually! Probably after the fifth chapter!**

**I believe that's it.**

**Reviews are love!**


	3. The Humans Inside Titans

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: THE HUMANS INSIDE TITANS**

* * *

**_BIANKA_**

* * *

_Year 865._

"Ha, what happened to your hands, Bianka?"

It was a cool day in early fall, and I had just come back from unsuccessful training with the elders. Like he had promised, Christoph had been waiting for me, but Israfil was with him, too, and she was the last person I wanted to see.

Every child in our village had to meet with the elders when they turned seven. In that meeting, they were to attempt to transform into a titan; every child of a Titan Shifter was able to, even if one of their parents was a normal human. And as the daughter of Bertholdt Fubar, the Colossal Titan, they had expected much of me, only to be disappointed.

I had tried my hardest. I done everything they told me. I bit my hands over and over again, picturing a clear goal in mind, only to have nothing happen. Now both my hands were mutilated, and bandaged up. I was a disgrace to the family name... and now Israfil had to rub it in my face in her own little hand.

"W-What do you think," I mumbled, keeping my gaze downcast.

I was my papa's only child. He had loved my mama, his wife, but she had died giving birth to my little brother, who turned out to be stillborn. Papa babied me, you could say, since I was the only thing he had left to connect him to Mama—even if I mainly took after him in appearance. I wanted so desperately to made him proud, to be a strong, big titan like he was. But I couldn't shift. I had almost burst into tears in front of the elders...

In our village, if you were a normal human girl, your only use was to get married and have Titan Shifter children... That was just the rough world we lived in here outside the walls...

Israfil laughed; she, like Christoph, was one year older than me. Her shaggy dark brown hair fell down to her chin, and freckles covered her light brown cheeks. She was different from most other girls—I didn't know how, but she was treated like both a boy and a girl. I had overheard two of the elders talking to each other about how she had both boy and girl parts, though I had no idea what that meant.

"You really are lame," Israfil drawled. "Everyone thought you were going to be a super awesome titan and _you can't even shift_! Hahahaha!"

Christoph glared at her as tears began to fill my eyes. "Lay off, Israfil! So what Bianka can't shift? It's not the end of the world. They just won't be able to use her in their new plan or whatever."

Christoph and I were together a lot, since Papa and Uncle Reiner had our families do stuff together often, like we were one big family. Aunt Annie was included too, since apparently she had a baby, who was then lost somehow, and she had been ordered by the elders, to help regain her honor, to have a baby with someone—women in our village didn't necessarily have to get married to have children, however babies were made. She chose Uncle Reiner, and they had a son named Alec who was two years younger than me—five—and he was already a little jerk.

I looked up to Christoph a lot; he always stood up for me. We were both two of the tallest younger kids in the village, though he was slightly taller. He wore his sandy blonde hair neatly cropped, though now it was starting to grow out, and I thought he had some of the prettiest blue eyes I had ever seen.

Israfil rolled her eyes. "If she can't shift into a titan, I don't see what use she has."

I was really trying not to cry now. I sat down on a ledge, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Shut _up_, Israfil," Christoph snapped, scowling fiercely. "Nobody cares what you think! Just leave Bianka alone."

She snorted. "Fine. Don't get your panties in a twist. Y'know what I heard? Alec is already showing signs of potential. He's going to kick major ass someday! Heh. Maybe they'll only need me and him. You two... are too _good_."

"Y-You say that like it's a bad thing..." I whimpered.

"It is," she spat, turning to go. "You're softies... just like your parents."

And with that, she walked away.

* * *

_Year 866._

"I'm going on a trip," Aunt Annie was saying, pushing Alec forward. "I'll be back in a few days."

I was at the Braun house, sitting with Christoph on the couch, when Aunt Annie had come in with her little jerk of a son. She was all packed to leave, to go on some kind of trip, like she said. Papa and Uncle Reiner were both out, so it was only us and Christoph's mama.

"I see," Christoph's mama said, wiping her hands on her apron; she had been cooking. "You're leaving him with us."

"Yes," Aunt Annie replied flatly. "He needs to go to his training sessions at one o'clock each day, so make sure he gets to them."

I gasped. "Alec's already training?!"

Christoph winced. "Yeah... The elders think he's some kind of prodigy or something... Dad said he already transformed into a titan..."

My eyes widened. "That's crazy!"

He shrugged. "Dad wouldn't lie about something like that..."

As much as I didn't want to believe it, Christoph was right. Uncle Reiner wasn't a liar. He kept some secrets from us, but that's what all parents did. He was like a second papa to me, and I would believe and trust him as much as I did to my real papa. But it scared me to think that a six year old could turn into a titan—what if he had a temper tantrum and he turned into a titan?! What damage could he do? Would he _eat_ anyone?

"We'll make sure he gets to them," Christoph's mama said. "Don't worry, Annie. Have a safe trip."

"...I will," Aunt Annie stated, turning to go. "Be good, Alec."

"Yes, Mother."

She left, leaving us alone with a little boy that I was probably a little bit scared of.

Alec Leonhardt was a little thing. He was dwarfed by Christoph and me, and it had nothing to do with age. He was tiny thanks to his mama's genes; he mainly took after her. The back of his hair was neatly kept, but his bangs were long, going down to his chin, sweeping to the right side of his face, nearly hiding one of his eyes. And his eyes were a cold shade of brown. He showed almost no emotion, something he definitely got from his mama, but there was something else about him that was different from her. He just... felt _off_. There was something wrong with that kid... I could feel it in the bones. He wasn't right in the head.

"Hey, Alec," Christoph greeted his younger half brother as he walked up to us. "So you're staying with us for a while? Awesome!"

The little boy looked at him blankly. "It won't be fun if you're my sparring partner."

See? He didn't even talk like a little kid...

Christoph laughed. "You seriously want to take _me_? I don't want to hurt you, Alec."

Alec had the most serious look on his face. "You'll be the one who gets hurt, Christoph."

I tried not to shiver. "Y-You guys probably shouldn't train... I-I mean, you're at different levels..."

"I'm above you, brother," Alec said impassively. "The elders say I may be even tougher than our predecessors."

Christoph blinked. "If you say so..." He shrugged.

Alec looked over at me, his expression void of any emotion. He creeped me out so much...

"Bianka..." he said.

"W-What?"

"You should try to transform again. It may work this time. We could really use another Colossal Titan. If we don't get one, your father may have to breach the walls again."

"WHAT?!" I gasped, my eyes widening with horror.

"That's right," Alec said, turning to leave. "We are breaching the walls again... and we will win this time. We will kill Eren Yeager and whatever spawn he has that can shift too."

* * *

_Year 868._

"You don't have to try if you don't want to."

I looked up at Christoph, my whole body shaking. The idea of shifting into a titan scared me so much. I was sweating with nervousness, trying not to freak out. But I hadn't tried to transform since I was even, after I had nearly ruined my hands, which were now covered in scars.

"B-But... I want to make Papa proud... I've let him down so much..."

Even though I was only ten, and Christoph was eleven, we were the tallest kids in our age group. I was already 165 centimeters tall, and Christoph was 170 centimeters. I had a feeling that someday I might grow taller than him... which was a weird thought. Boys were usually taller than girls. But my papa was so tall, and my mama had been pretty tall too...

"Bianka, you haven't let him down," Christoph insisted. "I know we get Titan Shifting shoved down our throats by the elders, but it's not the end of the world..."

"Nobody will like me if I'm not a Titan Shifter," I whimpered, looking down with shame.

"Hey, that's not true!" Christoph exclaimed adamantly. "Bianka, look at me..."

I forced myself to look back up at him. I felt like I was on the verge of bursting into tears. I had felt like a disappointment my entire life—I was female, I was too tall, I sweat too much, I wasn't pretty, I was too chunky, I cried too much, I was too sensitive, and I couldn't shift into a titan. I could go on and on. Even though my papa told me otherwise, I felt like I had failed him. I felt like nothing.

But Christoph... he had always been there for me... telling me I was perfect just the way I was.

"You're awesome just the way you are," he told me firmly. "I like you the way you are now, Titan Shifter or not. Nothing will ever change that."

"C-Christoph..." My eyes were definitely watering now.

"And hey, if nobody wants to marry you because they're shallow assholes, _I_ will."

My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed bright red; my entire face felt like it was on fire. No one... had ever said anything like that to me before... and it made me even happier that Christoph was saying it. Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. He laughed, and put his arms around me, hugging me back.

"T-Thank you..." I whispered. "Christoph..."

When we pulled apart, I wiped my eyes, and walked several feet anyway.

"You're still gonna try it?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah... You better get far back, just in case I'm as big as my papa..."

Christoph nodded, and began to move far, far back, but close enough to still see me. I raised one of my hands, looking down at it. It was time. I could do this. My my scars glared up at me, reminding me of the pain and humiliation I had felt. But I only had Christoph here with me. No one would laugh at me this time.

Steeling myself, I bit down as hard as I could on my hand, blood squirting out of my flesh. The last thing I remembered was a flash of green light and a loud _BOOM!_

* * *

_Year 869._

"Papa... Why are we here at Wall Maria?"

The elders had been thrilled to find out I could turn into a titan after all—and not just any titan. Another Colossal Titan, albeit a smaller and obviously female one. I was almost the exact same height as Papa in his titan form, only about a meter off.

Currently, we were standing outside of Wall Maria. It was quiet; the wall was so thick it blocked any sound from inside. Papa wasn't looking at me, his face downcast. Something was wrong—what was going on?

"Bianka..." Papa said slowly. "We have to breach Wall Maria."

My eyes widened. "What?! But Papa-"

"This isn't my decision," he said, the pain clear in his deep voice. "The elders want to try to destroy humanity again. I couldn't refuse, not after my failure last time... especially since they threatened to have you killed if I disobeyed."

"P-Papa?!" I cried. "But—But all those people!"

"I know," he said solemnly, raising his hand. But then he suddenly stopped, and looked down at me, his gaze meeting mine. "Bianka... I want you to do something for me."

"W-What?" I whimpered, tears filling my eyes.

"I want you to go inside, and try to convince as many people as you can to evacuate Shiganshina—so less lives will be taken. You don't have to come back... I'll just say you rebelled against me when I return to Coordinate.

My eyes widened as I realized what he was asking me to do. "B-But Papa... I can't leave you!"

"Yes you can, Bianka," he said firmly. "And when you're old enough, join the military—the Survey Corps, like I did when I was a soldier. Help them. Be another Titan Shifter for them—even if you can't do much since you're nearly as large as me. You're stronger than you think, Bianka. You can help save lives."

I realized I was crying—tears were silently streaming down my cheeks. I didn't want to leave my papa, my only blood family. I didn't want to lose all of my family. But I knew I had to do that. I had to follow his orders. I had to do what I could to prevent another tragedy. I may have been a Titan Shifter, but I still had my humanity. The others—Alec, Israfil, maybe even Annie and Ymir—they had all lost their humanity. They had embraced the monster inside of them, using it for evil instead of good... And even if I was scared, I could not do that.

"Okay, Papa... I-I'll do it..."

I ran up to him, and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. He reached down to embrace me, holding me closely. My crying turned into sobs as I clung to my papa, hugging him for possibly the last time ever.

Papa was giving up everything to try to save humanity... First he had lost my mama, the woman he loved, and his son. And now he was willingly giving me up, his daughter, his only child. All for humanity. Humanity, who probably hated every fiber of his being and wanted him dead for destroying Wall Maria the first time.

I had to fight. I could not give up. I would fight for my papa. I would be strong for him.

"I love you, Bianka."

"I love you too, Papa...!"

* * *

_Year 871._

"Christoph... What are you and Israfil doing here?"

During the Rite of Passage, I had been horrified to see the two of them among the ranks. It scared me, made me wonder if they were going to try to drag me back to the village. I didn't want to go back there, back to that hell hole. Here, with humanity, I had made new friends, people who accepted me for who I was—Naomi, Aerona, and Priam.

Christoph sighed, running a hand through his closely cropped hair. "Israfil has a different mission than me... but I was sent to bring you back."

My hands clenched into fists, and I shook my head, my ponytail swinging back and forth. "N-No! I can't go back there, Christoph! It's full of monsters... No one there is human."

He winced, and looked up at me, clearly still shocked and getting used to the fact that I was nearly ten centimeters taller than him. "Bianka... to be honest, I don't want to go back either. But Israfil will be watching us... and... I'm terrified of the thought of what the elders might do to our families."

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Papa...?"

"He's fine. The elders are suspicious of him, though."

I opened my eyes, looking down at my old friend. "Why did they send you, Christoph? Why not Alec?"

He let out a bitter laugh. "That's easy. Because we're friends."

I bit my bottom lip. "I guess... that makes sense..." I began to turn away.

"Bianka—wait."

I stopped, looking back at him.

"You've... changed so much," he said. "It's almost like I don't know you anymore... but my feelings haven't changed. They've stayed the same.

My face burned. "C-Christoph... let's focus on saving humanity first... if you'll help me..."

He smiled, something I hadn't seen him do in a long time. "Of course, Bianka... I'll always be there for you. And you've made some good friends here. We just need to figure out what Israfil is up to..."

I nodded. "We have three years before things turn serious. Let's use them to our advantage."

"Definitely."

* * *

_872._

All I could see was the familiar green flash of light that brought back bittersweet memories, and a fierce roar full of rage. Hot air blasted at us, wiping back our hair and rustling our uniforms. When the light faded, all you could see was a huge cloud of steam about 15 meters high. Everyone was frozen in place, unsure of what exactly was going on. But I knew, and so did Christoph.

_Naomi had transformed into a titan. She was a Titan Shifter, just like her papa. _

The steam faded, revealing her titan form. She was a 15 meter class, just like Eren. She looked a lot like the Rogue Titan, with some differences, of course. Her chaotic hair was thick and black, going down to just above the bottom of her shoulder blades, with bangs as wild as the Rogue Titan's. Her jaws were the same, but her nose wasn't as sharp. Her eyes were larger and more feminine, but the same brilliant shade of green. Her skin was fairer, and she was built like a lankier version of the Female Titan. She was hunched over, low growls emanating from her.

"Naomi's... a _Titan Shifter_?!" Alain exclaimed in shock, his eyes wide.

"Yes," Aerona stated, as if it was perfectly normal. "I'm going to try to talk to her."

"But—Aerona, wait!" Priam cried frantically.

But it was too late. Aerona had launched herself into the air, using a grappling hook to maneuver herself onto Titan Naomi's shoulder. She wasn't moving, still hunched over, and trembling. I looked over at Christoph, and he met my gaze.

Did this mean... we could trust the Scouting Legion with our secret?

He faintly shook his head no, so only I could see. We would wait then.

"Naomi?! Can you hear me?!" Aerona was shouting to the titan.

She began to stand up straight, towering above all of us, but Aerona was able to keep her balance on the titan's shoulder.

"Naomi! Can you understand me?!"

Finally, the Titan Shifter responded, letting out a low growl. I wasn't sure if that was a yes or a no. It was hard to tell, since titans couldn't speak.

"Do you have control of yourself?" Aerona asked.

Titan Naomi nodded, and everyone let out a sigh of relief. If she hadn't been in control, we would have another problem.

"Dammit..." Alain groaned. "What should we do now?"

"I suggest we try to help as many others as we can," Christoph said. "Naomi can help take out the titans. Hopefully we can save our classmates and prevent any deaths."

"I agree," I said, looking at all of my companions.

"I guess we should do that then..." Priam said, still looking like he was in shock.

Aerona shot off of Naomi's shoulder, dropping down to the ground. "That sounds like a plan. We better get moving. Priam, can you take Naomi's horse?"

The redheaded boy nodded. "Y-Yes..."

It took a few minutes to get reorganized, but then we were off. Naomi ran behind us; it was best that way, just in case our comrades freaked out at the sight of another female titan and tried to kill her. I just hoped it was obvious enough that she wasn't chasing us, just following—that we were on the same side.

"I hear screaming!" Priam cried.

"Which direction?!" Christoph demanded.

Priam urged his horse to go a little faster, taking the lead. "This way!"

We all followed him out of the wooded area, out into an open clearing. And the scene before us was utter chaos—titans chasing trainees, trainees attempting to kill titans and failing, four steaming bodies on the ground.

"Go, Naomi!" Aerona shouted and we parted to make way for her to run through without crushing any of us.

The titan charged through, and punched the closest titan so hard the top of its head was ripped right off its jaw, blood and flesh flinging everywhere. I heard more screaming.

"Let's go!" Christoph exclaimed.

Christoph, Aerona, Alain, and I blasted off our horses, joining in the battle. We each took out one titan, only for more to come out of the trees. Christoph and I teamed up to take out a few together. Aerona mainly killed them on her own, but pitched in to help Alain when he struggled. I was relieved to see that Luke and Tanya were in this group, and they were teaming up to kill titans. It was agonizing, but with two teams combined, we were able to eliminate all the titans. Still, Naomi did most of the work.

I shot a grappling hook onto a tree, and glided over there to rest. Sweat had plastered my bangs to my forehead, and I was winded.

"Wait!" I heard Priam shriek. "That titan's-"

I looked up to see a boy—his name was Henrik Kron, I believe—flying towards Titan Naomi, his blades drawn. But Aerona was quick, and blasted in front of him, knocking his blades out of his hands.

"What are you doing?!" he demanded angrily as they dropped down to the ground. "Are you fucking crazy?!"

Aerona glowered at him. "That titan is human—it's _Naomi_. She killed most of the titans. Didn't you notice?"

Everyone was gathering to the center where they stood—even the horses—so I dropped down from the tree and joined them.

"N-Naomi's a Titan Shifter?!" Tanya gasped with astonishment.

"Clearly," Aerona deadpanned.

"Dude," Luke breathed, his eyes wide. "How'd it happen? Did she bite her hand? Isn't that what they do?"

"No..." I said quietly. "Someone sabotaged her equipment, giving her blunt blades, so when she tried to kill a titan, it didn't cut well enough. The titan grabbed her, and would have eaten her if Aerona hadn't killed it in time. But she got her legs bitten off..."

There were gasps among the crowd.

"Oh... Oh my gosh..." Tanya breathed. "Thank goodness you're okay, Naomi... You can understand me right?"

Titan Naomi grunted, but then suddenly looked toward the trees. She snarled, snapping her jaws, and suddenly took off, leaving us behind.

"What the—Naomi!" Aerona scowled. "Dammit! I have to go after her and make sure nothing happens!"

"Aerona, you can't go alone!" Priam exclaimed, clearly distressed.

Christoph returned his blades to their sheathes. "Don't worry, we'll go with her. Right, Bianka?"

I tried to hide my surprise, and nodded. "Yeah."

"Then let's not waste anymore time."

…

We were shooting through the forest, following the titan. We had to move fast, and I just hoped we didn't run out of gas. Any titan we encountered, Naomi took out first since she was in the lead, except for the rare one that came out from the side. That only happened three times, giving each of us a kill.

"Agh! I blunted a blade," I groaned after finishing a kill, still blasting through the air. "How much farther is she going to go?!"

"Until she runs out of energy!" Christoph exclaimed, flying beside me; Aerona was in front of us. "That's what happens usually! If not, we may have to cut her out, and that's dangerous!"

"We'll have to wait and see," Aerona responded coldly. "I'm not going to do anything if it hurts her."

Aerona and Naomi were so close... I wondered what they had gone through together. Aerona just got this terrifying, fierce look on her face when it came to protecting Naomi. You could say I scared easily, but that expression... I had a feeling she would not hesitate to kill anyone who tried to hurt Naomi. She was protective of Priam too, but not to that intensity.

"We need to find Eren!" I exclaimed. "Or Levi! One of them! They'll know what to do!"

But then the forest ended, and Naomi burst into what looked like our campsite. And titans were everywhere. No trainees were around—only members of the Scouting Legion—and since there were barely any trees, they were struggling to kill all of the titans.

Titan Naomi let out a furious roar, catching the attention of both humans and titans as Christoph, Aerona, and I dropped down to the ground, our 3D maneuver gear pretty much useless in the open.

Two titans turned their backs to the soldiers they were grappling with, and started lumbering towards us. Titan Naomi snarled, and barreled forward. She grabbed the titan closest to her, and swung it into the other. The giants snapped in half, blood and guts flinging everywhere, and then crumbled to steaming bits as they hit the ground.

"We need to fight," Aerona stated, switching out her blades for new ones.

"Agreed," Christoph said.

"Here!"

A woman came riding up to us, pulling along three extra horses. She was really pretty, with golden blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her eyes were a deep shade of blue. She was rather small, but had the cloak of the Scouting Legion on over her uniform.

"T-Thank you!" I exclaimed as we mounted the steeds.

The woman smiled. "Of course! Now help us fight!"

Naomi had taken out three more titans by the time we had reached the battle zone. The blonde woman shot out of her saddle, used the grappling hook to guide herself to the back of the titan, and expertly slashed the nape of its neck, killing it.

"Whoa..." Christoph breathed. "She's like an angel..."

"A death angel..." I corrected, and then remembered my papa mentioning one of his friends from the 104th Trainee Squad had been like a goddess... "Wait a second... is that Historia Reiss?"

"Most likely," Aerona replied, cool as ever. "Though she is _Historia Fairbairn_ now."

My eyes widened. "Elizabeth's mama?!"

"Yes."

But then Aerona launched herself out of the saddle, and expertly sliced the nape of a titan's neck, propelling off its shoulder to go after another one. I was astonished by her talent. She was by far the best in our class...

"Come on, Bianka," Christoph said. "Let's work together."

I looked over at him, and nodded.

…

"RAAAAAWRGH!"

All of the titans were dead, and all we had left was Naomi. And, well, all of those battles had taken their toll. Both of her arms were gone, steam pouring out of them, and she was staggering around, exhausted.

"We'll have to wait," Eren was saying. "Until she collapses and comes out herself, like I did the first time."

Aerona looked agitated. "How long will it take?"

"It shouldn't be much longer..." Historia said. "I mean, Eren came out pretty quickly the first time..."

"It's a good thing Mikasa isn't here," Eren said with a chuckle, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "She would be freaking out right now."

Historia giggled a little. "Yeah, that's true. Maybe that's why Armin made her stay."

Finally, the titan swayed, and collapsed face first. The ground shook violently, spooking the horses a little. A blast of steam exploded from the base of the titan's neck, and I could see something rising up out of it—a person.

Aerona leaped off her horse, and began to run off to where the fallen titan was. She pulled the person out of the steaming body, and now I could clearly see that it was Naomi. Eren urged his horse forward, and once they had reached the two girls, he dismounted.

I couldn't hear what they said to each other, but Aerona handed Naomi over to her father, who then put her up onto the horse. I noticed that her legs had grown back, like they should have.

Naomi was going to be fine. If she hadn't transformed into a titan, people would have actually died instead of just getting injured.

I glanced over at Christoph, and he smiled at me. My cheeks flushed, and I looked away again, making him chuckle.

"We did good work today, Bianka," he said. "We saved lives. It's a nice feeling, isn't it?"

"Yes..." I murmured.

"Let's keep it up."

* * *

**Another early update because I'm crazy and have tons of muse.**

**Now you know about Bianka's, Christoph's, and Israfil's pasts. Of course this is just my headcanon/take on the Titan Shifter village.**

**You also know a bit more about what happened to Annie, Reiner, Bertholdt, and Ymir.**

**Okay, that's all I have to say.**

**Please review. **


	4. Cruel World

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: CRUEL WORLD**

* * *

**_NAOMI_**

* * *

"Nnngh..."

A groan escaped my lips as I turned onto my side. I realized I was laying on some kind of cot. My eyes shot open, and I found myself in a tent. My uniform was in tatters; the jacket was gone, and my pants seemed to have been ripped off at my knees, my boots gone. I reached up to grasp my scarf, relieved that it seemed to be okay.

What... had happened?

I rubbed my eyes, and then it all came back to me. I had gotten my legs bitten off by a titan... and had transformed into my titan form. My memory of what happened as a titan was a little hazy, but I seemed to have control of myself and had killed a lot of titans... But now that meant my secret was out...

Dammit! Now everything-

The flap of the tent opened, and inside stepped Aerona. She looked exhausted—drained mentally and physically. I stared at her, expecting her to say something, but instead, she walked up to me and suddenly hugged me, getting on the cot with me. I froze, shocked yet again. She...

"A-Aerona..." I stammered, my cheeks flushing.

"You... scared me," she admitted, her voice barely audible above a whisper. "I thought you were going to die..."

I... didn't know how to respond. Aerona had been acting so oddly lately. She didn't seem to be herself. She seemed to be more on edge, more emotionally distraught. And I didn't know what to do, how to help her. It made me feel powerless—I couldn't even help my best friend with whatever problem she was having.

"W-Well... I'm not dead..." I said lamely.

She laughed, a short, flat sound. "Clearly." She pulled back, looking me straight in the eyes. "Naomi... There's something I need to tell you..."

I blinked, even more confused. "...Aerona...? What're you talking about?"

Her eyes flickered down, avoiding my gaze, and her hands slowly gripped the back of my shirt. I had no idea what she was doing, and it was making me blush even more. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be reacting in this way—my heart beating faster, my face burning, my breath even hitching. I just wanted to hide under my scarf.

"Naomi..." she murmured, finally looking back up at me. "I... I-"

Just then, the flap swung open, and my dad walked in. I jerked away from Aerona so fast, completely forgetting I was sitting near the edge of the cot, and fell off, landing flat on my back with a loud yelp.

"What the hell are you _doing_?" Dad demanded. "This is no time to be messing around. Naomi, how are you feeling?"

I winced, sliding my legs off the cot so I could sit up, and rubbed the back of my head. "I... feel fine, Dad. Just... a little shaken."

Aerona once again had that impassive look on her face, hiding from me whatever she had been about to tell me before my dad barged in. I stood up, adjusting my scarf around my neck. Aerona got up as well.

"We have scouts out," Dad said. "Apparently they've sighted the Female Titan."

Aerona and I both froze, and my eyes widened. The Female Titan—Annie Leonhardt?! The woman who had looked so similar to Aerona—the one Titan Shifter we had met?! And from what we had learned about her... she had killed so many people—even Levi's entire squad. If she got here, we were screwed.

"Naomi." Dad looked at me, straight in the eyes. "If it comes down to it, we will transform and take out the Female Titan—but we can't kill her. Armin has made it clear that he wants her alive."

Damn... My dad was experienced with fighting as a titan... I was not. And the Female Titan had fucking killed so many people... How the hell was I supposed to face something like that?!

Aerona narrowed her eyes. "Why can't you just cut Leonhardt out? Her limbs would just grow back. And for all the lives she has taken, I see it as a just payment."

"That's impossible," my dad replied. "The Female Titan can harden her skin, preventing anyone from cutting her."

I gasped. "For real?! Damn, why can't we do something like that." I pouted.

"That also means that if Leonhardt has any children, there is a possibility that those children could be Titan Shifters who can harden their skin as well," Aerona stated with a frown. "How unfortunate."

Dad grimaced. "Let's focus on the task at hand-"

That's when we all realized the ground was shaking.

"-outside, now!" Dad commanded, a fierce look on his face.

We all hurried outside, where everything was chaotic. Soldiers and trainees were hurrying about, trying to organize their gear and horses. It was an utter mess. And the thudding, along with the shaking ground, was getting worse.

"Eren!"

Historia, along with the familiar faces of Connie, Sasha, and Jean, were heading our way. I was surprised to see them here; last time I heard, they were part of my mom's squad. Maybe she wanted them to come along on this expedition, to make sure Dad was safe? Mom had always been super protective of Dad.

"What are we going to do?!" Historia cried, her blue eyes wide.

"Annie's coming to us," Dad said. "So I say we capture her!"

Jean looked pained. "You mean us, of course. You trying to get us killed, Eren?"

"No," Dad retorted, starting to look like he was getting angry. "If it gets too dangerous, pull back. Naomi and I will take over after that."

"Yeager, I have a request," Aerona said, a steely look on her pretty face. "Let me fight the Female Titan. We've encountered her before, and she seemed... to take an interest in me. I believe it would be the most beneficial for me to join the fight against her."

"Eh?" Connie started, blinking. "What d'you mean by 'interest'?"

Jean pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you actually _looked_ at Aerona, Connie? Who does she look like?"

"What the hell's that supposed to—oh. Damn, why'd I never think of that?!"

"That's because you don't think, Connie," Historia said in the nicest way ever. "That's why you have the most kids out of all of us!"

"H-Hey, that has nothing to do with it!" Connie stammered, clearly embarrassed while Sasha's face turned bright red.

I had to cover my mouth to hold back laughter. Oh, Maria, they were going to kill me if this kept up.

Jean rubbed his face. "Some things just don't change... What are your orders, Eren?"

"I want all of you to stay together," Dad said. "Naomi and I will be with Levi and Nathaniel. And if you really want to come with us, you can, Aerona. You know how to prepare. We'll take on the Female Titan in these two teams. Hopefully that will give us an advantage. Jean, you're in charge."

* * *

As soon as I had gotten new gear and mounted my horse, the Female Titan came bursting out of the trees, charging into the clearing. Some of the horses spooked, scattering. The trainees looked terrified.

"Humph," Nathaniel snorted from his own steed beside me, taking out his blades. "At least the Female Titan gives us a good view of a nice ass."

Aerona gave him a flat look. "You wouldn't know a nice ass if it shitted in your face."

He returned with his own blank stare. Great, I was in the middle of this shit, and the Female Titan was sprinting further into the clearing. I pulled out my blades as my dad and Uncle Levi returned on their horses, looking all ready to go.

"Come on!" Dad shouted. "Let's go!"

There was nothing to shoot my grappling hooks into, so I had no choice but to use my gas to shoot up in the air. Everyone else did the same. But then, barely had we done that when the Female Titan reached us, suddenly skidding to a halt, kicking up arcs of dirt. It was like she saw something... and was... _hesitating_.

"NOW!" Dad commanded.

Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Historia blasted forward, attacking the Female Titan's left side, slashing with their swords, blood flinging everywhere—they were obviously trying to tear her muscles so she couldn't use her arms, and they kept on doing it so she couldn't heal. Dad, Uncle Levi, and Nathaniel were going for her feet, to cut the tendons that kept her up. Which left us with her right side.

Aerona, however, seemed to have a different plan. She shot her grappling hooks into the back of the Female Titan's neck, using the line to guide her to the nape. The Female Titan was already starting to stumble, looking like she was about to fall-

I shot after her, but then the Female Titan raised her good hand, and grabbed my best friend, wrapping her fingers around Aerona.

"No!" I cried. "Aerona-"

But I didn't even need to reach her to cut her out, because blood suddenly exploded from the titan's hand, and Aerona came spiraling out, a wild look in her icy eyes. And then, with her steaming nub of a fist, the Female Titan swung at the other soldiers on her left. Luckily, they had been pulling back at the time, and barely avoided getting hit.

"Eren!" Historia cried as we attached ourselves to trees farther away. "What do we do?!"

Dad looked pretty pissed. "Dammit, Annie! We just want to talk to you!"

The Female Titan staggered backwards, weak on her damaged feet, her left arm hanging limply at her side. But she didn't make a sound.

"Why don't we just kill her?" Nathaniel said impassively. "That's one less Titan Shifter to deal with."

"I have to agree with Nathaniel," Aerona growled. "That's a first."

He gave her a sour look.

Dad looked pained. "We can't do that. It's crucial to capture one of the four Titan Shifters that helped nearly destroy humanity all those years ago... They're the only ones who can give us answers! And Annie... is the only one we've been able to find."

The Female Titan turned her head, locking her pale blue eyes on Aerona where she was balanced on a tree. The titan stared at the girl, her gaze scrutinizing in a way. It was... creepy. But then the Female Titan turned around, as if she was finally satisfied, and began to sprint away.

"Let... her go," Dad sighed. "We don't have the means to capture her right now..."

* * *

The expedition was uneventful after that. We didn't see a single titan on the way back. Dad figured that the reason we encountered so many titans was because the Female Titan was nearby. There were a lot of injured trainees... but thankfully no one was eaten. And no one else got their legs bitten off.

Still, my secret was out now... I just hoped that the Scouting Legion didn't get in trouble for not telling anyone. The Military Police would probably get butt hurt like always though. I really did not like them—the Military Police. They were so high and mighty and corrupt... sitting on their asses playing board games while people in the Scouting Legion were dying. I had no respect for them.

"Naomi... are you okay?" Priam asked. "You've been awfully quiet..."

I snapped out of my thoughts. We were in the dining hall, eating dinner after our return. I realized I hadn't been talking that much at all since we had gotten back. And I hadn't touched any of my food.

"I'm... fine," I said. "Just thinking."

"You don't have to lie to us," Aerona said, her voice colder than usual.

"I'm not lying!" I cried. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Priam bit his bottom lip, looking down. "You got your legs _bitten off_."

"Well, they're back now," I said, tapping his shin with the tip of my shoe.

He gave me a dry look. "Clearly."

"The Female Titan was examining me again," Aerona muttered. "I don't understand. What does Annie Leonhardt have anything to do with me?"

"She could have killed you," I said quietly. "But she didn't. You noticed, right?"

"...Yes."

"She didn't hurt anyone, though," Priam said. "I'm guessing it's because they all used to be friends..."

Aerona shook her head. "This is different, Priam. This is the second time the Female Titan has gone out of her way to see me..."

"Well, we'll just have to ask Uncle Armin when we see him again, when we join the Scouting Legion," I said. "He'll have all the answers!"

"Would he even tell us?" Priam asked, frowning.

"I... don't know." Aerona closed her eyes. "To this day, he hasn't even told me who my mother is..."

I think... Aerona knew... deep down inside... who her mother was. Because I had a feeling about who it was too... And since we often thought on the same wavelength... we probably had the same person in mind. Aerona just needed to accept it.

But if it was true... everything would change.

* * *

"C'mon guys, it'll be fun!"

Tanya was trying to convince Aerona to go to the party to celebrate surviving our first expedition. I had no intention of going to the celebration if she didn't go. There wasn't really a point, you know? I would be bored out of my mind and lonely if I didn't have my friends with me.

Aerona didn't budge an inch. She simply reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't see the point. There's nothing to celebrate. Our comrades were injured. The Female Titan got away. It was only successful in letting us experience how not to die."

Tanya winced; she was one of the trainees lucky enough not to have gotten a scratch. "Hey, we're all alive, aren't we? That's something to celebrate!"

Aerona snorted, closing her eyes. "What kind of life is this?"

I looked down. "My mom told me once... that this world is cruel... but it's beautiful, too. Titans are part of the cruelty... but you gotta remember the beauty—even if it's the simplest, silliest things."

"Y-Yeah!" Tanya exclaimed, nodding. "That's why we're celebrating... Though honestly, some of the other trainees just want to mess around..." She grimaced. "Some probably even want to get _laid_..."

I made my decision then, changing my mind.

I stood up. "Aerona, we're going!"

She looked up at me sharply. "Excuse me?"

"We're going," I said firmly. "You need... to relax. It'll do you some good! Priam can come, too!"

"Yay!" Tanya cheered, a big grin lighting up her face. "We'll have so much fun!"

"You can't make me," Aerona deadpanned.

"Watch. Me."

* * *

I ended having to literally drag Aerona to the party, and thankfully Priam didn't fight coming along too much. But once the party started, both of my friends seemed to relax and enjoy themselves. There was plenty of food and drink, which was courtesy of Tanya, Elizabeth, and Danica all cooking.

But eventually I got separated from my two friends, and I was getting tired, so I headed outside for some fresh air. It was cool and crisp out, making me shiver a little and pull down my sleeves. I was glad I always wore my scarf. I was surprised, however, when I saw Alain sitting out on the steps, all by himself.

"Oh, Alain, what're you doing out here all alone?" I asked, confused.

He started, looking up at me. "N-Naomi! Oh, uh, well..." He sighed, looking back down. "There's no point for me to stay inside there. Nobody's even interested in _talking_ to me..."

By 'nobody', he probably meant girls. "Forget them! I'll talk to you, Alain!"

I walked down the first step to sit next to him. Alain had a look of surprise on his face, and a faint blush was tinting his cheeks.

"T-Thanks..." he muttered, quickly looking away from me.

I spread out my skirt, trying to cover as much of my legs as I could. "I'm... sorry about what happened on the expedition."

He still didn't look at me. "It's not your fault, Naomi. If you hadn't turned into a titan... we would have had casualties."

I bit my bottom lip. "No, I meant when I got bitten by the titan... you risked catching me... Thank you."

"I... was just doing my job."

Silence fell between us. I didn't really know what else to say to him. Alain had always been awkward, even when we were just kids. That was just how he was. And suddenly I thought of something to say.

"How's your sister doing?" I asked curiously. "Is she sending you letters?"

Again, Alain seemed surprised. "Giselle? She used to send me stuff... but stopped recently. I don't know how she's doing. I didn't get a chance to talk to my dad either..."

My face fell. "I'm sorry, Alain..."

He let out a tired laugh. "It's fine, Naomi. I don't need your pity." He abruptly stood up, and brushed off his pants. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

* * *

_**PRIAM**_

* * *

"Man, all these girls... and none of 'em want me."

I sighed heavily. "Honestly, Luke, is that all you think about?"

We were sitting at a table, drinks in hand. Both Aerona and Naomi had disappeared, and I had somehow ended up stuck with Luke. I really should have just gone back to the barracks, but now he wouldn't let me go anywhere else.

"Wha? 'Course not!" Luke waved me off. "It'd just be nice, y'know... _to not die a virgin_."

I slapped my forehead. "I don't really care about that kind of thing."

Luke leaned back in his chair, eying me. "There's gotta be someone you've got the hots for, right? Somebody back at home? Or maybe somebody here?"

I felt my cheeks heat up. "N-No..."

But Luke saw right through me—grinning widely, he sat back up. "Ha, I knew it!"

I shrunk down in my seat, trying to hide; I hoped that nobody was eavesdropping on us, because I would be screwed. She could never find out... It would ruin everything...

"You should hit her up," Luke suggested, a mischievous glint in his light brown eyes. "...Or him, if you swing that way."

"It's a girl..." I muttered, my face burning even more.

"Oh, let me guess!" Luke exclaimed. "Hmmm... I bet it's-"

"Priam. There you are."

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Aerona's voice right next to me. Luke and I had been completely oblivious to the fact that she had been approaching us. I was sure my face was redder than my hair, and her sudden appearance wasn't helping.

"I've been looking all over for you," she said, putting a hand on her hip. "Have you seen Naomi?"

I sat up straight, trying to get a grip on myself. "N-No, sorry..."

She sighed. "I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on her... Will you help me find her, Priam?"

There was no way I would pass up a chance to get away from Luke.

"Of course," I said, finally having fully recovered. "Let's go. See you later, Luke."

"Aw man," the shorter boy groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Damn, at least you've got friends that are girls... All I got is my sister."

Aerona raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"...Ignore him," I sighed. "Come on."

She didn't seem convinced, but she didn't push it. "Very well. Naomi better not have gotten into any trouble... If she has, I'll have to kick someone's ass."

I winced. "She probably just went to the barracks to go to bed..."

"You can never be too careful, Priam."

* * *

**This chapter is short and mainly has filler... but oh well.**

**What's wrong with Aerona? Why does the Female Titan keep checking on her?**

**It's kinda hard writing the canon characters as adults. Mainly because I have to think about how they would have changed. But hopefully I'm doing a good job with them!**

**Next chapter is the long awaited graduation, and the second arc begins! We can finally really get to the plot!**

**The last SnK episode of the first season came out today too... I have to catch up on the manga.**

**Anyways, please review!**


	5. Battle Cry

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: BATTLE CRY**

**(Second Fall of Trost Part I)**

* * *

**_AERONA_**

* * *

_873._

Graduation left a strange feeling in me. Our training was over. Soon we would have to choose the branch we would join. Of course, I knew I was going to join the Scouting Legion. There was no other place I wanted to be. The Military Police would be the safest, but they were corrupt and I would probably be treated like shit because I was the daughter of the Scouting Legion's commander. Besides, Naomi was joining the Scouting Legion, and wherever she went, I would follow.

We were on the top of Wall Sina—that is, my squad. I was lucky enough to be put on a squad with Naomi and Priam. Danica and the bastard who tried to kill Naomi last year, Henrik Kron, were also on our squad.

Naomi let out a happy sigh, gazing down at the peaceful city of Trost. "We've finally made it, guys! We're soldiers now... and soon we'll be apart of the Scouting Legion!"

"If the Military Police don't try to snag you," I muttered. "You know they're trying to get a trial about what to do with you like they did with your father. The Wallists want to sacrifice you to the walls as well..."

She winced, rubbing the back of her head. "Like that's gonna happen! The Wallists are fucking crazy. And there's no way in hell the Military Police are gonna get me! The Scouting Legion showed everyone how they can use Titan Shifters. I don't see the point of another stupid trial."

"Only time will tell," Priam sighed. "But enough about that! Let's enjoy the time we have left!"

Naomi grinned, and nodded. "Yeah! That's the spirit! Humanity's second counterattack is starting now!"

But then, almost as soon as she had said that, several flashes of green light erupted throughout the entire city, and then there was a loud _BOOM!_ behind us.

I felt sick to my stomach. There were screams. We all turned around, only to find ourselves face-to-face with the Colossal Titan—Bertholdt Fubar. And if a titan could look sad... he definitely did.

It was happening again.

"No," Naomi growled. "No! Stop-"

But it was too late. The Colossal Titan lifted his leg, and kicked out the gate. The wall shook violently, making us all fall off. We all managed to shoot our grappling hooks into the wall to stop our falls, however. I kept my feet pressed up against the brick, looking around to make sure everyone was okay.

"No!" I heard Naomi scream with anguish. "I won't let you bastards win!"

Priam, who was closest to me, gave me a panicked look.

We released our hooks from the wall, using our gas to blast after Naomi. We landed on a roof, and I noticed the rest of our squad was following us. It was the best to get away from the wall, after all.

"Dammit!" Naomi growled. "Fuck, look at all the titans!"

It was true. Not only were some titans coming from the gate—which made no sense since they were coming from inside Wall Maria—but there were titans all around us. These titans had to be Shifters. There was no other way they could get here. It was just like I had feared—we could no longer tell who our enemies were. We could be surrounded by them at any given moment.

"Oh, Maria," Priam breathed, his eyes wide with horror.

Naomi pulled out her swords. Danica gave her a startled look.

"W-What are you going to do, Naomi?" the younger girl asked, her eyes wide.

"I'm going to fucking kill every titan I can," my friend said darkly, boiling with rage. "And if one fucking eats me, I'm going to transform and kill some more. I'm not going to let them destroy the city!"

Henrik took out his blades as well. "She's right. We have to fight! We can't let the bastards win!"

The entire squad, except for Priam and me, raised their blades and let out battle cries. And before either of us could say anything, Naomi blasted forward on her 3D maneuver gear, leading the entourage. Priam and I quickly exchanged looks before following suit. I had to make sure nothing happened to either of my friends.

It happened so fast. Our squad was able to take out a few titans before things took a turn for the worse.

"Naomi!" I called, trying to catch up to her.

But that's when we reached the Titan Shifters.

One grabbed the line from Danica's gear, snapping it in half. I slowed down, my eyes widening as I watched the titan stuff the wailing girl into its mouth, blood spraying everywhere.

Even though I was shocked by seeing the first death in my career as a soldier, I noticed a titan coming at me out of the corner of my eye. I quickly whipped around, dodging its groping hand. I shot a grappling hook into the back of its neck, propelling myself around to its back, slicing its weak spot with precise movement. But then I heard more screaming as the titan fell.

I looked up to see every single member of my squad being eaten—including Priam, but excluding Naomi.

"NO!" Naomi cried, blasting forward right as our friend began to slide down into the titan's mouth.

Using my 3D maneuver gear, I lunged forward, only to have a titan swipe at me, its nails shredding my left side. Pain shot through my body, and I lost control of myself. I slammed into Naomi right as she grabbed Priam, pushing them both away from the titan. But then we were flying uncontrollably, and another titan stuck out its head, biting down on Naomi. But we kept shooting through the air until we hit a roof. I cried out in pain as I rolled several times before finally laying flat on my back.

"Agh... N-Naomi! Aerona!" I heard Priam cry with terror.

I clutched at my shredded side. I wasn't sure, but I think more than just skin had been ripped off of my body—flesh, too. Blood was pouring out of my side at an irrepressible rate. I was immobilized by pain.

We were going to die here... Every last one of us...

Something... grabbed me... and lifted me up off the ground.

"A-AERONA! N-Naomi, d-do something!"

"I'm... TRYING!"

The titan put me inside its wet, slimy mouth. I closed my eyes. I waited for it to clamp its jaws down and seal my fate. I was starting to slide down towards its throat.

But then someone grabbed my arm, and the jaws did not shut. My eyes shot open, and I was staring at the pained, anguished face of my best friend. Blood had splattered around her eyes, and dripping down her face. She was missing an arm and a leg, but somehow she managed to keep the titan's jaw's open. But she looked tired—exhausted, like she could pass out any moment now.

"Aerona..." she got out. "How _dare_ you give up on me..."

I was speechless.

She heaved me up, pulling me away from the throat. I gasped in pain as she wrapped her arm around my torso, more of my blood seeping out of my stripped side. Naomi moved, turning around so we were facing outside of the titan's mouth. Though the haze of my pain, I could see the horrified face of Priam, who looked like he was about to break.

"Aerona..." she breathed, still holding me close to her. "Don't you remember? The promise we made each other as kids?"

"Yes..." I murmured.

* * *

_Year 863._

It had been about ten years ago... when we were just six years old. We had known each other for about two years. It was just another day during recess at school. Nobody else really talked to us. Naomi was too aggressive, and I was too quiet. Before we knew Priam.

We had been sitting around in a patch of grass, just enjoying the peace and quiet away from all of our rambunctious classmates.

"Look at the flowers," Naomi had said, pointing to a patch of beautiful lavender blossoms. "My daddy said that there are even prettier ones outside the walls!"

"Really?" I had asked softly.

She nodded, her blue-green eyes wide with excitement. "Yeah! Daddy says that someday it'll be safe enough to live outside the walls! To see something called the ocean! Lakes of fire! Ice plains! Sand forests! And all the different animals, too! I can't wait to see the world!"

I looked down. "I hope you have fun, Naomi..."

"Huh?" She sounded confused. "There's only one person I want to see the world with, Aerona. And that's you! So you're coming along too!"

My head jerked up, and I looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. "W-What?"

She just smiled at me. "Let's make a promise, Aerona! We'll always stay together—no matter what! We'll see the world together! Promise?"

I blinked, still stunned, feeling my cheeks heat up. But I nodded, a small smile forming on my own lips. "Y-Yeah... Promise! We'll always be together."

* * *

_873._

"About that promise..." Naomi said softly. "I'm sorry... but I can't keep it."

My eyes widened. "W-What?"

Her head tilted lower, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. I noticed that there was a gash on her head; fresh blood was dripping down to join the older, drying blood around her eyes.

"We have to... part ways..." she muttered, her grip around her slackening.

I couldn't even feel my pain anymore. Because I realized what she was saying. I realized what she was doing. I could feel the jaws of the titan already lowering as Naomi's strength began to fade. I gripped the front of her shirt, shaking my head as I felt tears pricking in my eyes.

"No... You're not going anywhere... You're coming with me. "But my voice wasn't firm; it was shaking, trembling with fear—fear of the inevitable.

"I'm... so tired, Aerona..." she murmured, her head drooping so much our foreheads were pressing together. "I just... want to sleep."

I was aware that she was starting to push me away, starting to push me out of the titan's mouth. But not without a minor slip-up. Somehow, our lips ended up meeting. It was a brief, unintentional kiss, but nevertheless it sent a jolt through my numb body. And with that, Naomi shoved me out of the titan's mouth.

I hit the roof on my back, pain shooting through my whole body. I heard Priam frantically call my name, but that didn't matter. I pushed myself up, getting on my knees, clutching at my side with one hand, and reaching out towards the girl I loved with the other.

"NAOMI!" I cried, tears finally streaming out of my eyes.

She smiled at me, sad and tired, as the titan's jaws began to close more and more. "Aerona... Priam... stick together... See the outside world... Tell my family I love them..."

I scrambled towards the edge of the roof, reaching out desperately towards her. She held out her hand weakly, trying to snag my hand. But then, she passed out, and the titan's jaws came down, snapping off the part of her arm that was sticking out, and the limb came flinging towards us.

Priam screamed. I just stared at the titan that had just eaten one of the most important people in my life. Blood was seeping through my fingers. But then the numbness was replaced by rage.

Life... without Naomi... I couldn't even think about it. How _dare_ that titan take her away from me?! She wasn't dead yet—she was a Titan Shifter. Besides, I would feel it if she was truly dead. I would get Naomi out of that titan—somehow. That bastard would _pay_.

Priam was in absolutely hysterics behind me—sobbing, wailing, etc. I didn't want to leave him, but I couldn't just let the titan go.

I removed my bloody arm from my side, clenching my hands into fists. My calmness was fading. I couldn't take it anymore.

"You... fucking _bastard_," I snarled. "Give Naomi _back_! I'll tear you to _shreds_!"

I felt... strange... like I was about to explode with some kind of power. But all I could remember before blacking out was a bright flash of green light.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but it just fits better with my plan that way. I rather stretch an event through several chapters than just shove it all in one chapter. Also, I'm trying to follow the format of SnK.**

**This was the first of MANY parallels between characters of SnK and characters of Titanomachy.**

**I don't think the first casualties were as emotional as I originally planned... but oh well.**

**Anyways, ANOTHER cliff hanger! Is Aerona a Titan Shifter too? You'll have to wait and see~**

**I will be posting character files after this chapter.**

**Please review!**


	6. Bonus: Character Files

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHARACTER FILES**

**(as of chapter 6)**

* * *

**List of Characters: **Naomi Yeager, Aerona Arlet, Priam Foley, Luke Springer, Tanya Springer, Elizabeth Fairbairn, Israfil, Alain Kirschstein, Christoph Braun, Bianka Fubar, Alec Leonhardt, Nathaniel Levi

* * *

**Name:** Naomi Yeager

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 16 years

**Birth****day: **April 9th, 858

**Zodiac Sign:** Aries

**Hair:** Black, straight, goes down just below shoulders, front strands pulled back in knot-like bun, longish bangs parted in the middle with a chunk of strands in the middle that will never go to either side

**Eyes:** Blue-green, sharp, intense, bright

**Height:** 170 cm (5' 7")

**Weight:** 64 kg (140 lbs)

**Family:** Eren Yeager (father; 39); Mikasa Yeager [nee Ackerman] (mother; 39); Carla Yeager (sister; 13); Axel Yeager (brother; 10)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** 4th

**Species:** Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 9/10

**Agility:** 10/10

**Strategy:** 4/10

**Teamwork:** 7/10

**Passion:** 10/10

**Kills:** 10 Solo, 13 Team, 12 Shifted

* * *

**Name:** Aerona Arlet

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 16 years

**Birthday:** January 11th, 858

**Zodiac Sign:** Capricorn

**Hair:** Golden blonde, straight, goes down to small of back, kept in a tight, neat bun, bangs cut straight across forehead, ending right above eyes

**Eyes:** Icy blue, cold, oval-shaped, emotionless at times

**Height:** 155 cm (5' 1")

**Weight:** 54 kg (120 lbs)

**Family:** Armin Arlet (father; 39); unknown mother

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation: **N/A

**Grad Rank:** 1st

**Species:** Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 10/10

**Agility:** 8/10

**Strategy:** 7/10

**Teamwork:** 3/10

**Fidelity****:** 10/10

**Kills:** 17 Solo, 8 Team, 15 Shifted

* * *

**Name:** Priam Foley

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 16 years

**Birthday:** February 2nd, 858

**Zodiac Sign:** Aquarius

**Hair:** Dark auburn, straight, slightly shaggy, bangs fall into eyes

**Eyes:** Brown, warm, wide, calm

**Height:** 168 cm (5' 6")

**Weight:** 60 kg (132 lbs)

**Family:** Callahan Foley (father; 45); Maureen Foley (mother; 40)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** Not in Top 10

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 2/10

**Agility:** 7/10

**Strategy:** 10/10

**Teamwork:** 8/10

**Intellect:** 10/10

**Kills**: 0 Solo, 3 Team

* * *

**Name:** Luke Springer

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 17 years

**Birthday:** June 24th, 857

**Zodiac Sign:** Cancer

**Hair:** Brown, straight, cut short but still somehow ends up messy

**Eyes:** Light brown, round, bright, mischievous

**Height:** 160 cm (5' 3")

**Weight:** 59 kg (130 lbs)

**Family: **Connie Springer (father; 39); Sasha Springer [nee Braus] (mother; 40); Tanya Springer (twin sister; 17); Ellie Springer (sister; 15); Daniel Springer (brother; 13)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** 6th

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 7/10

**Agility:** 10/10

**Strategy:** 3/10

**Teamwork:** 9/10

**Speed:** 10/10

**Kills:** 5 Solo, 12 Team

* * *

**Name:** Tanya Springer

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 17 years

**Birthday:** June 24th, 857

**Zodiac Sign:** Cancer

**Hair:** Brown, straight, goes down to a little past shoulders, pulled up in a sloppy high ponytail, with messy bangs

**Eyes:** Light brown, bright, warm

**Height:** 160 cm (5' 3")

**Weight:** 58 kg (127 lbs)

**Family: **Connie Springer (father; 39); Sasha Springer [nee Braus] (mother; 40); Luke Springer (twin brother; 17); Ellie Springer (sister; 15); Daniel Springer (brother; 13)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** 7th

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill: **7/10

**Agility:** 9/10

**Strategy:** 5/10

**Teamwork:** 9/10

**Intuition:** 10/10

**Kills:** 4 Solo, 14 Team

* * *

**Name:** Elizabeth Fairbairn

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 15 years

**Birthday:** March 17, 589

**Zodiac Sign:** Pisces

**Hair:** Strawberry blonde, wavy, goes down to just above bottom of shoulder blades, worn in a lose low side ponytail, with a single chunk of bangs that can't be tucked back

**Eyes:** Pale green, round, calm, gentle

**Height: **147 cm (4' 10")

**Weight:** 43 kg (95 lbs)

**Family:** Louis Fairbairn (father; 50); Historia Fairbairn [nee Reiss] (mother; 39); Louis Fairbairn Jr. (brother; 11)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** 10th

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 6/10

**Agility:** 7/10

**Strategy:** 8/10

**Teamwork:** 10/10

**Benignity:** 10/10

**Kills:** 3 Solo, 10 Team

* * *

**Name:** Israfil

**Gender:** Hermaphrodite; identifies as female

**Age:** 17 years

**Birthday:** November 19th, 857

**Zodiac Sign:** Scorpio

**Hair:** Dark brown, straight, slightly messy, goes down to chin, bangs frame face

**Height:** 173 cm (5' 8")

**Weight:** 73 kg (160 lbs)

**Family:** Unknown

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** Titan Shifter Village?

**Grad Rank: **8th

**Species: **Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 8/10

**Agility:** 7/10

**Strategy**: 5/10

**Teamwork:** 4/10

**Guile:** 10/10

**Kills:** 9 Solo, 5 Team

* * *

**Name:** Alain Kirschstein

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 16 years

**Birthday:** May 5th, 858

**Zodiac Sign:** Taurus

**Hair:** Light brown, straight, short but slightly shaggy, with bangs that droop onto forehead

**Eyes:** Brown, narrow, calm, sharp

**Height:** 173 cm (5' 8")

**Weight:** 75 kg (165 lbs)

**Family:** Jean Kirschstein (father; 39); unknown mother; Giselle Kirschstein (sister; 10)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** 5th

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 9/10

**Agility:** 9/10

**Strategy: **7/10

**Teamwork:** 6/10

**Cognition:** 10/10

**Kills:** 9 Solo, 14 Team

* * *

**Name:** Christoph Braun

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 17 years

**Birthday: **August 30th, 857

**Hair:** Sandy blonde, straight, cropped short

**Eyes:** Blue, narrow, bright, sharp

**Zodiac Sign:** Virgo

**Height:** 183 cm (6' 0")

**Weight:** 85 kg (188 lbs)

**Family:** Reiner Braun (father; 41); unknown mother; Alec Leonhardt (half brother; 14)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation: **Titan Shifter Village?

**Grad Rank:** 2nd

**Species:** Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 10/10

**Agility:** 8/10

**Strategy:** 6/10

**Teamwork:** 5/10

**Camaraderie****:** 10/10

**Kills:** 13 Solo, 17 Team

* * *

**Name:** Bianka Fubar

**Gender:** Female

**Age:** 16 years

**Birthday:** July 25th, 858

**Zodiac Sign:** Leo

**Hair:** Black, straight, goes down to waist, worn up in a neat high ponytail

**Eyes:** Deep green, round, calm, reserved

**Height:** 191 cm (6' 3")

**Weight:** 82 kg (181 lbs)

**Family:** Bertholdt Fubar (father; 40); unknown mother (deceased); unknown brother (deceased)

**Affiliation:** 112th Trainee Squad

**Former Affiliation:** Titan Shifter Village

**Grad Rank:** 3rd

**Species:** Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 10/10

**Agility:** 5/10

**Strategy:** N/A

**Teamwork:** 8/10

**Secrecy:** 10/10

**Kills:** 9 Solo, 16 Team

* * *

**Name:** Alec Leonhardt

**Gender**: Male

**Age:** 14 years

**Birthday:** Unknown

**Zodiac Sign:** Unknown

**Hair:** Platinum blonde, short but slightly shaggy, bangs go down to chin, sweeping to the right

**Eyes:** Brown, sharp, cold, critical

**Height:** 158 cm (5' 2")

**Weight:** 58 kg (128 lbs)

**Family:** Reiner Braun (father; 41); Annie Leonhardt (mother; 40); Christoph Braun (half brother; 17)

**Affiliations:** Titan Shifter Village

**Former Affiliations:** N/A

**Grad Rank:** N/A

**Species:** Titan Shifter

**Status:** Alive?

**Battle Skill:** 10/10

**Agility:** 8/10

**Teamwork:** 2/10

**Ruthlessness:** 11/10

**Kills:** N/A

* * *

**Name:** Nathaniel Levi

**Gender:** Male

**Age:** 19 years

**Birthday:** December 22nd, 855

**Zodiac Sign:** Capricorn

**Hair:** Black, straight but bushy, worn in a short, stubby ponytail with undersides shaved, with bushy bangs parted in the middle

**Eyes:** Brown, sharp, narrow, calm

**Height:** 163 cm (5' 4")

**Weight:** 66 kg (145 lbs)

**Family:** Levi (father; 58); Hanji Zoe (mother; 58)

**Affiliation:** Survey Legion

**Former Affiliation:** 111th Trainee Squad

**Grad Rank:** 1st

**Species:** Human

**Status:** Alive

**Battle Skill:** 11/10

**Agility:** 10/10

**Strategy:** 7/10

**Teamwork:** 3/10

**Wisdom:** 10/10

**Kills:** 95 Solo, 53 Team

* * *

_**Updated 10-25-13.**_


	7. Heart of a Lion

**TITANOMACHY**

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: HEART OF A LION**

**(Second Fall of Trost Part II)**

* * *

**_PRIAM_**

* * *

_873._

_BOOM!_

In the middle of my hysterics, in the middle of the chaos, right after I watched one of my two best friends get eaten by a titan, Aerona snapped, and I was blinded by green light. And then there was a roar full of anguish, steam blasting everywhere.

Tears were streaming out of my wide, horrified eyes, and I could barely stop myself from screaming again. The steam finally cleared, revealing that Aerona was gone—and a titan was in her place.

...How...?

The female titan was just slightly shorter than Naomi's titan form, with nothing covering its red flesh. It stood up straight, its long, wild golden blonde hair falling all the way down to its waist, with bangs flopping down towards its ice cold blue eyes. It looked a lot like the Female Titan—Annie Leonhardt. But I knew it had to be Aerona—it was the only explanation.

But... how was this even possible?!

The titan jerked back its head, letting out another tormented roar. But then it lunged forward, latching onto the titan that had devoured Naomi. I watched, frozen in shock, as Aerona's titan ripped the other titan apart, blood flinging everywhere. She also stomped on the nape of its neck to ensure it was dead. Then Aerona crouched down, carefully picking something up from the mush.

I quickly staggered to my feet as the female titan turned around to face the roof, and set down a bloody body. Without thinking, I rushed forward and dropped down to my knees next to the limp form. It was, without a doubt, Naomi. Her eyes were closed, and she wasn't stirring, still bleeding from the stumps that were once limbs. My breath caught, but I checked her pulse.

Naomi was alive.

"She's alive," I breathed with relief, relaxing slightly.

The titan seemed satisfied, turning around. And with a low growl, she took off, heading towards where the rest of the titans that had eaten our squad were.

I... couldn't stay here... But I couldn't leave Naomi behind.

It was... all my fault—if I had been stronger, none of this would have happened.

At least we were all still alive.

Tears were still pouring out of my eyes, dripping down onto Naomi's sleeping form. "Oh, Naomi... I'm so, so sorry... I wish I wasn't so pathetic!"

She was a Titan Shifter... That meant she could regenerate. But how long would it take for her limbs to grow back? Her body wasn't emitting any steam. This could end badly after all...

Out of nowhere, I heard someone shoot up onto the very roof we were on, and landed. My head jerked up to see who it was, and I blinked in confusion. The person was short—only slightly shorter than Aerona—and their identity was concealed by a dark cloak with the hood up over their head. I assumed this person had 3D maneuver gear, as that was the only way to get up onto roofs without a ladder.

"W... Who are you?" I asked warily, slowly reaching back for one of my blades, just in case. "W-What do you want?"

The person raised their hand, and pushed back the hood, revealing their face. I nearly gasped at the sight—pale gold hair, cold blue eyes, the distinct nose. Even after years of aging, this person was undoubtedly Annie Leonhardt—the Female Titan.

I was on the verge of panicking.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she spat, her voice like ice, eerily similar to Aerona's own cold tone. "Relax."

I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of one of my swords. "How can I believe you? When you've killed so many people?!"

"Fine," she stated impassively. "Don't trust me. I don't care. But you have a severe problem on your hands, boy. This whole affair is pointless, so I mean to end it before there are any more pointless deaths."

I just stared at her, my eyes wide.

Annie looked down at my unconscious friend. "I meant to employ her—to ask for her aid. But she is no condition to transform. And now we have another Titan Shifter on our hands..."

"Aerona," I blurted. "She shifted into a titan because one ate Naomi-"

"I know," the woman retorted sharply. "I saw."

Something... seemed to trouble her. There was pain in her eyes—pain triggered by the mentioning of Aerona's name. And now I finally understood.

"Aerona... is your daughter," I said. "Your daughter with Armin."

Annie grimaced, reaching up to brush her bangs away from her eyes. "Yes. She is. She's all I have left to live for."

I lowered my gaze, looking down at Naomi. Her fair skin was splattered with dried blood, her bloodied lips as full as her mother's. The red scarf around her neck somehow was not damaged. Naomi was beautiful; I could not deny that. But Aerona had always been a goddess to me; her beauty surpassed all others. And I could see that she must have gotten it from Annie, who was stunning in her own way.

"I... care for Aerona too," I said quietly. "Naomi and I—we both do. We're friends—no, no, we're more than that. We're... _family_."

I just... felt the need to reassure Annie that Aerona was being taken care of.

Annie snorted softly, closing her eyes. "...You remind me of, Armin. What's your name, boy?"

"Priam," I responded. "Priam Foley."

Her eyes shot open and locked with mine. "Priam. Come with me. I'll need your help. You're as intelligent as Armin, yes?"

"H-Huh?" I stammered. "I've been told I am..."

"That's good enough." She undid her cloak, pulling it off, and walked up to me. "Put this around Naomi."

I nodded, and took the cape from her, carefully putting it on my friend to cover up her mangled body.

"What do you need me for?"

"There are Titan Shifters throughout Trost," she replied coolly, turning her back to me. "Bertholdt destroyed the gate again, letting normal titans in as well. But the other Shifters are the greatest threat. Aerona will not stand a chance against them."

"But... But how does this involve me?" I asked, confused.

Annie looked up at me. "We will split up. You will go inform the military of what is going on, and you will take Naomi with you. You must try to wake her up and get her to heal so she can transform and help Aerona."

I bit my lip, nodding. "What about you?"

She looked away from me, straight ahead. "I will try to talk to the leader of this group of Titan Shifters and persuade him to end this."

"What if this plan doesn't work?"

Her lips twitched. "That's when you will use your intelligence to improvise."

This... was going to end badly. I could feel it in my bones. And working with the Female Titan was probably part of the reason I felt this way.

* * *

_**BIANKA**_

* * *

There were titans everywhere.

"Dammit," Christoph growled, looking straight ahead. "I should've known... that little bastard!"

"Oh? What's the matter, Chris?" Israfil taunted, sauntering up to us where we stood at the edge of the roof, watching the scene unfold out before us. "Surely you're not _scared_, are you?"

Christoph gritted his teeth, looked down at the girl. "Hell no. I'm _pissed_. When I get my hands on him, he's so dead."

"...What are you talking about?" Alain asked, eying us.

Crap!

"N-Nothing!" I blurted, panicking. "Just about killing titans!"

Alain gave us flat looks. "I'm not stupid, you know."

Israfil snorted, putting her hands on her hips. "You could've fooled me."

Alain's eyes narrowed and he scowled, opening his mouth to retort, but then something happened. I heard someone land on the roof, and there were loud gasps, and even a scream.

"I-It's Fubar! R-Run! He's going to kill us!"

We all whipped around, and I gasped too, but not in fear. Because there, standing before us, the only person taller than me that I knew of, was none other than Bertholdt Fubar, my father. I... I hadn't seen him in such a long time... Tears filled my eyes, and I reacted without thinking.

"Papa!" I cried, running up to him and throwing my arms around him.

He staggered back from my weight, but put his arms around me, too, holding me tightly. I buried my face into his shoulder, choking back a sob. My fingers dug into the soft fabric of his cloak, and I couldn't stop myself from crying.

"Bianka..." he said softly, reaching over to kiss my forehead.

"...Fuck," I heard Alain breathe. "I should've known..."

I had just blown my secret, but I didn't care.

Papa pushed me away. "There's no time. We need to act."

Alain was scowling, a fierce expression that marred his handsome looks. "What are you talking about? Don't you want to destroy humanity?"

Papa winced. "No, I don't. But I have no choice."

Christoph stepped forward, joining us. "Uncle Bertholdt, what do we need to do?"

Papa looked at my friend, and then back at me, a grim expression on his face. "Alec is here."

Oh... Oh my goodness... My eyes widened with horror. Even though Christoph had assumed that that was what was happening, hearing my papa confirm it made the nightmare real. I was absolutely terrified. Alec Leonhardt... was a monster.

"His mission is to terminate Naomi Yeager."

Christoph scowled. "'Course they want Naomi out of the way... But it's not gonna be easy killing her. She's tough, plus she's got Aerona watching her back."

Papa stiffened. "Aerona?"

He nodded, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah. Aerona Arlet, the Commander's daughter."

Papa's eyes widened. "This is even worse than I imagined."

I frowned, confused. "What's wrong with Aerona, Papa?"

He closed his eyes, grimacing as if the name pained him. "Aerona was the name that Annie gave to her daughter. The child that she supposedly lost."

* * *

_**PRIAM**_

* * *

Annie shot forward with wicked speed, slashing the nape of the titan's neck, killing it just in time before it could snag me. I was slower than normal because I was carrying Naomi, who still hadn't woken up yet. We were trying to catch up with the new Female Titan instead of splitting up after all, when it proved impossible for me to move fast enough while carrying my friend.

"Break!" the blonde woman shouted to me, and I nodded, shooting over to rest on a roof.

Annie landed as I gently set my unconscious friend down. I carefully adjusted the cloak around her, which was already stained with blood.

"Damn... I blunted a blade," I heard her mutter. "How is she?"

"...She's still not waking up," I sighed, brushing Naomi's bangs out of her eyes. "Any signs of Aerona?"

"She clearly headed this way," Annie responded, walking up to me. "But she's fast—just like me."

That wasn't very reassuring.

I grimaced, squeezing my eyes shut. "This plan won't work either. We'll never catch up with Aerona at this rate. If only Naomi would wake up..."

I looked down at my friend. She looked... so calm and peaceful in her slumber. I hated having to wake her up, but we desperately needed her help.

And then, out of the blue, we heard a titan's bloodcurdling roar. It was, without a doubt, Aerona's titan screaming with rage.

Naomi's eyes seemed to scrunch down. Her lips twitched into a grimace—as if the roar disturbed her in her sleep. Her chin tilted up, and the hand she had left groped forward, latching onto my thigh.

"A-Aerona..." she muttered.

Was... their bond... really that deep?

The titan roared again, and I heard something crashing into a building. Naomi's eyes shot open, startling teal, locking onto me, her fingers digging into the white fabric of my pants.

"P-Priam..." She suddenly jerked upwards. "Priam!"

"Naomi!" I exclaimed, relief flooding me.

Her expression turned serious. "Where is she? Where's Aerona?"

"...She turned into a titan."

Naomi jerked, turning towards the sound of Annie's voice. Her eyes widened as they saw the petite warrior who was just standing there, watching us.

"You—You're-"

"Yes, yes, I know," she deadpanned. "I'm Annie Leonhardt, the Female Titan. You don't have to say it."

"Naomi," I said. "She's helping us."

My friend looked back at me. "Aerona-"

"Is a Titan Shifter," I clarified. "Just like you."

Her eyes widened wide as saucers. "But that means-"

But she cut herself off, suddenly gasping in pain as steam began to seep from her the stumps left behind by her severed limbs.

"Agh," she groaned, her face contorting in pain. "Dammit!"

"Get back," Annie warned me.

I quickly pushed myself away from Naomi, putting space between us. Steam came pouring out of her body, and she groaned loudly, shaking violently.

"I'm... going to KILL them ALL," she growled, and I watched in shock as her missing limbs began to grow back, all other injuries healing before my very eyes. "Every LAST fucking ONE of them..."

She jerked forward, gasping and spasming. The regenerating process completed in several minutes. We watched in eerie silence. Panting, Naomi pushed herself back up, brushing her hair behind her back.

"Naomi?" I asked, my eyes still wide.

"Ha... I'm okay." She met my gaze, her face hardened with determination. "Let's go. We're going to find Aerona. And I'm going to fucking kick any titan's ass that tries to get in my way."

* * *

_**BIANKA**_

* * *

Even though I was older than him, Alec had always scared me. There was just something wrong with that boy. I was more than twice his size, but he gave off an aura that terrified me. He had always been... off. Maybe I would go as far to say that that boy was insane.

And Alec was here, in Trost, killing people in titan form.

I didn't want to die.

"There's a titan coming!" one of my fellow trainees yelled. "Another female type?!"

...What?

A female type titan came charging down the street, long golden blonde hair whipping behind its back. I gasped; that titan reminded me of Aerona for some reason. The titan slammed into one of the giants that had gathered next to the building we were standing on, knocking it down onto the ground. We watched in shocked silence as it viciously destroyed the titan.

"That fighting style..." Alain breathed. "Doesn't it remind you of... Aerona?"

More than the fighting style reminded of of Aerona.

I looked back at my father. "Papa, what should we do?"

He met my gaze. "I can't stay. But you need to fight. And protect Naomi from Alec. Even... Even if it means shifting."

I was pretty much useless in titan form, so that meant it would be up to Christoph. I looked at him, and he nodded grimly. I couldn't help but feel that fear again—he could hurt. I didn't want anything to happen to Christoph. I... cared for him too much. He was the only person I had here I could fully trust.

Alain scowled. "So you two really are Titan Shifters, huh? I can't believe I didn't notice..."

"We're not like the others," Christoph stated. "We're on the same side as you—as Naomi. You think we want to destroy humanity? Hell no."

"I... I want to save people," I muttered. "Not kill them..."

Israfil snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "You really should stop playing hero."

"...Enough chit chat," Alain sighed. "Are we going to find Naomi or not?"

I blinked. "You're coming with us?"

"'Course I am!" Alain exclaimed with irritation. "You think I'm going to sit this out? Hell no. I care about Naomi too."

Christoph grinned. "That's the spirit! Let's go!"

* * *

**Another short chapter, but whatever.**

**I hoped you enjoyed seeing more of Priam!**

**What are the Titan Shifters planning...?**

**Did Aerona really shift into a titan? And is she really Annie's daughter?**

**And how will Trost be saved this time?**

**You'll have to wait and see~**

**Please review! I really would appreciate some feedback.**


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